male child, apparently
blistered and burned in extent and in places corresponding almost
exactly to the locations of the mother's injuries. The mother died on
the fourth day.
Webb reports the history of a negress who during a convulsion while
pregnant fell into a fire, burning the whole front of the abdomen, the
front and inside of the thighs to the knees, the external genitals, and
the left arm. Artificial delivery was deemed necessary, and a dead
child, seemingly burned much like its mother, except less intensely,
was delivered. There was also one large blister near the inner canthus
of the eye and some large blisters about the neck and throat which the
mother did not show. There was no history of syphilis nor of any
eruptive fever in the mother, who died on the tenth day with tetanus.
Graham describes a woman of thirty-five, the mother of seven children,
who while pregnant was feeding some rabbits, when one of the animals
jumped at her with its eyes "glaring" upon her, causing a sudden
fright. Her child was born hydrocephalic. Its mouth and face were small
and rabbit-shaped. Instead of a nose, it had a fleshy growth 3/4 inch
long by 1/4 inch broad, directed upward at an angle of 45 degrees. The
space between this and the mouth was occupied by a body resembling an
adult eye. Within this were two small, imperfect eyes which moved
freely while life lasted (ten minutes). The child's integument was
covered with dark, downy, short hair. The woman recovered and afterward
bore two normal children.
Parvin mentions an instance of the influence of maternal impression in
the causation of a large, vivid, red mark or splotch on the face: "When
the mother was in Ireland she was badly frightened by a fire in which
some cattle were burned. Again, during the early months of her
pregnancy she was frightened by seeing another woman suddenly light the
fire with kerosene, and at that time became firmly impressed with the
idea that her child would be marked." Parvin also pictures the
"turtle-man," an individual with deformed extremities, who might be
classed as an ectromelus, perhaps as a phocomelus, or seal-like
monster. According to the story, when the mother was a few weeks
pregnant her husband, a coarse, rough fisherman, fond of rude jokes,
put a large live turtle in the cupboard. In the twilight the wife went
to the cupboard and the huge turtle fell out, greatly startling her by
its hideous appearance as it fell suddenly to the
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