Jack’s Walk » « Kronos Day Mood.

The Healing Arts: Mary Toft, Stones In The Head, Elephantiasis.

A new series! The Harvey Cushing/John Hay Whitney Medical Library has an absolutely astonishing collection of old prints and drawings, all to do with medical matters. There are exquisite anatomical drawings, drawings of hospitals, and the like, but I won’t be posting those. There are wonderfully satirical prints, interesting characters, and depictions of certain maladies, etc., of which, many tickle my fancy. We’ll start with Mary Tofts, who drew a great deal of attention, from on high to low in her day, for giving birth to rabbits. (All images, click for full size.)

Mary Tofts of Godelman the pretended Rabbit Breeder, mezzotint, John Laguerre, c. 1726.

Mary Tofts of Godelman the pretended Rabbit Breeder, mezzotint, John Laguerre, c. 1726.

Moving on to…head stones! :D

Loopt loopt met groot... [Operation for Stones in the Head], Laid, Claes (Nicolas) Jansz Weydtmans.

Loopt loopt met groot… [Operation for Stones in the Head], Laid, Claes (Nicolas) Jansz Weydtmans.

I’m not at all sure what this is all about, it doesn’t look quite like trepanning, but who knows? One very interesting thing about this is that it leads to a painting by Hieronymus Bosch, called Cutting The Stone, aka The Extraction of the Stone of Madness. It’s quite clear that Bosch is not being complimentary to the medical profession. The Band Wire did a song about the painting, called The Madman’s Honey.

Finally, we have a scary look at Elephantiasis, [Warning: A very graphic photo at that link.] a most dread disease back in the day. Note that the woman depicted has 6 toes on each foot.

Woman with Elephantiasis, Laid, Anonymous, Italian, 18th Century.

Woman with Elephantiasis, Laid, Anonymous, Italian, 18th Century.

Jack’s Walk » « Kronos Day Mood.

Comments

  1. says

    I’m always happy when something odd connects me to Hieronymous Bosch, and I had been completely unaware of this particular painting. As always, there’s just so much to see.

  2. jazzlet says

    Coincidentally I have just been listening to a radio programme (The Unbelievable Truth) where Mary Toft was mentioned in passing.

  3. says

    Serendipity. It’s amazing, all the attention and time she garnered; royalty was fascinated with her, and several physicians lost their credibility and livelihood over her. It’s also interesting on the skepticism front, with one particular stalwart skeptic.

  4. rq says

    The ‘doctors’ in the Bosch remind me of the Scarecrow, Tinman and Cowardly Lion. I think because of the funnel.
    I’d never heard of Mary Tofts. That seems a very sad story.

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