Part 2

Her Pulse was regular, but somewhat low, her Tongue florid; and upon asking for her Water, those about her answered, she made very little, and that they had not saved any.

She informed us, that in the Intervals of her Labour-Pains she was tolerably easy, and had no inclination for any sort of Food but Beef.

About two Hours after we had left her, they came again to call Mr. Howard, she being at that Time in violent Labour-Pains; but he and my self were gone to see the Mayor, who was then ill. The Nurse that attended her had delivered her, before our return, of the lower Part of a Male Rabbet, which we found totally with the Trunk, which I had before extracted: This was also strip’d of its Skin, and compleatly perfect in all its Parts, but more manifestly so in those of Generation.

In the Rectum of this Animal, which remain’d affix’d to the Body, we found five or six Pellets, much of the same Colour and Consistence as the common Dung of a Rabbet, little Bodies, like dried Fragments, being matted together with a mucous Matter. The like was observed in some other Parts of those Rabbets, which had come away before. In the other Bowels there was a dirty colour’d Mucus, of the Nature of that which is constantly found in the Bowels of all fœtus Animals, and which in those that void their Excrements in Pellets, is commonly hard and dry; but the Matter in the Guts of the first Animal was of an entire different Kind, Colour and Substance from any of the rest, this being like little Filaments of an Animal Substance. In the Middle of the Gut Ilium of this Creature, I found a very slender, brittle, white Body, of the Length of half an Inch, which in Shape was like a very small Fish-bones.

Between six and seven the same Evening we again visited her; we had not been there long, before she fell into violent Labour-Pains, insomuch that four or five Persons cou’d hardly confine her to an Arm-Chair: As soon as the Violence of the first Pain was somewhat abated, I examined her as before, and found the Vagina perfectly clear; and the Orifice of the Uterus so far closed, as not to admit of the little Finger, I constantly stood before her, nor did any Person whatsoever touch her, during that Time. After three or four very strong Pains, that lasted several Minutes, I delivered her of the Skin of the above-said Rabbet, rolled and squeezed up like a Ball, without the least Moisture or Blood about it; upon which she recovered of her Pain.

From that Time I did not stir from before her, nor did I withdraw my Hand, but to deliver the Skin to a stander by.

About ten Minutes after, as near as I can judge, she again fell into Labour-Pains, though more sudden and short than the former; at which time I again deliver’d her of the Head of the Rabbet, with the Furr on, part of one of the Ears being torn off, also without any Blood or Moisture: And as to these two Deliveries, and particularly as to the Circumstances of the latter, Mr. Molyneux having drawn up an Account of this whole Affair, for his own private Satisfaction; immediately upon our return to London, I beg leave to refer, for the Conviction he had of the Truth thereof, to that Account which I have his leave to say, he will communicate to any Gentleman that is desirous to peruse it.

After this she soon grew easy, and Mr. Howard gave her a sleeping Draught.

About ten in the Evening we saw the Woman for the last Time, she being then in Bed: Having felt her Belly, I found it soft, except those Lumps, which still were in the same Place as before mentioned.

Between the Times of visiting the Woman, we examined the several Rabbets, which were all kept separate in distinct Pots, with Spirits of Wine, in the Order that they were brought away.

The first Animal did not appear to be a perfect Rabbet, in all its Parts, three of the Feet being like the Paws of a Cat, the Stomach and Intestines like those Parts in the same Animal, as also the Shape and Figure of the Thorax; the Lungs and Heart of which were entirely out of their natural Situation, and squeezed out between the upper Ribbs and Vertebræ of the Neck, to which Parts they strongly grew and adhered. The Lungs of this Creature, had they been placed in their natural Cavity, would not have filled above a sixth Part of it: The Bones of this Creature being also different in Substance and Structure, from those of common Rabbets, the Head and one Paw only excepted.

All the other thirteen Animals were, in every Particular, like well formed, common, natural Rabbets, from the Size of two Months Growth to four. They were all broken in Pieces, and much in the same Manner. I shall describe these pieces in the Order that Mr. Howard told us they had commonly been brought away. First the four Paws with the Furr on; then the Liver and Intestines; the Trunk and Shoulders in another Part: In three or four Animals the Loyns separated from the Os Sacrum; and in the rest, the Ischium and Thighs in one piece, with the Loyns; the Head with its Furr, and lastly the Skin.

When all these several Parts were put together in their proper Order, they manifestly made up, and appeared to belong to the above-mentioned Animals: But the Viscera were wanting in four or five of them. One remarkable Circumstance is, that most of these Animals were Females, as far as I could judge.

The Heart and Liver of those which we examined, appeared much larger than usual, when compared with the Lungs and Intestines which belonged to them; which on the contrary were extremely small. The Cœcum and Colon, which are remarkably large in Rabbets, appeared not to exceed in bigness the other Intestines, and the spiral Structure of the Cœcum was not yet unfolded; the Stomach was in like manner much contracted, and its Pilorus very streight and narrow. I cou’d not discover, in any of the Livers that I examin’d, the Ductus Venosus, nor the implantation of the Umbelical Vein in that Organ.

I open’d three or four of the Hearts, and found in every one of them the Foramen Ovale, and the Ductus Arteriosus fully open, the two Trunks of the Descendant Cava united at the right Auricle of the Heart, agreeable to that Structure which is peculiar to natural Rabbets, and some few other Animals.

The Flesh of these Creatures, particularly of that which I extracted, had the smell of Rabbets just killed: and the Substance of their Bones were, in all respects, like the Bones of Fœtus Rabbets; in several of them the Epiphyses were separated from the Bones themselves.

All the Heads which I examined had their compleat number of Teeth, four cutt before, and ten Grinders on each side, but they appeared not in the least worn nor stained, as the Teeth of other Rabbets are by Mastication.

The Nails of the Paws were most of them exceedingly sharp.

The Skins were all produced, being dress’d in Allum; they were of several Colours, as to their Furr, which was considerably long, and in one particularly (which was the fifth Rabbet,) that part which cover’d the Head was curled.

The Rabbet which I extracted weigh’d one and twenty ounces Averdupoize, making an allowance for one of the Paws not yet come away, and part of the Viscera that were lost.

From all these Considerations I was fully convinced, that at the same time that the external Appearance of these Animals was exactly like such Creatures, as must inevitably undergo the Changes that happen to adult Animals, by Food and Air, they carry’d within them the strongest Marks of Fœtus’s, even by such parts as cannot exist in an Adult, and without which a Fœtus cannot possibly be supposed to live. This, I think, proves in the strongest Terms possible that these Animals were of a particular kind, and not bred in a natural Way; nor will there be any doubt remaining (even with the least knowing in these matters) when those parts which are subservient to the Circulation of the Blood, and Nourishment between an adult Creature and its Fœtus are brought away; which I am fully satisfied must shortly happen, or, if retained, be the Cause of this Woman’s Death.

All these Facts were verify’d before his Majesty, on Saturday Nov. the 26th, by the Anatomical Demonstration of the first, the third, fifth, and ninth of these Animals, which were compared with the parts of two natural Rabbets, the one of the Age of four Months, and the other of five Days, Dr. Steigerthal and Dr. Tessier being present.

I shall with all convenient speed publish the Anatomy of these Præternatural Rabbets, with their Figures taken from the Life, and compared with the Parts of Rabbets of the same growth, that the differences before mention’d may be fully understood.

In the mean while, I shall relate what appeared in the Dissection of two Rabbets, which I performed in the Presence of Mr. Molyneux, the very Day that we returned from Guilford; the one was of four Months growth, and much of the Size of that which I had taken from the Woman, the other was barely fifteen Days old. The Lungs of the larger were, as nearly as I can judge, twenty times bigger in Capacity than those of the præternatural one, and the Lungs of the smaller were at least eight times the bigness of the fore-mentioned; both these were exceedingly different, in Colour and Confidence, from those of the præternatural Rabbet.

The Foramen Ovale of the smaller Rabbet was more than two thirds open, and that in the larger was so far closed, as but just to admit a very small Probe.

As to the Stomach and Intestines, the difference was so notoriously great from those we had examined, that even in the sucking Rabbet, the Stomach and Cœcum were at least three times larger than those parts in the præternatural ones.

I shall give no other Account of the Woman, than what I think pertinent to this Subject: By the several Questions which I put to her, I was informed, that she was born and bred at Godlyman; She seem’d to be of a healthy strong Constitution, of a small size, and fair Complexion; of a very stupid and sullen Temper: She can neither write nor read: She has been married about six Years to one Joshua Toft, Junior, a poor Journey-man Clothier at Godlyman, by whom she has had three Children. The account she further gave of herself, was, that on the 23d of April last, as she was weeding in a Field, she saw a Rabbet spring up near her, after which she ran, with another Woman that was at work just by her; this set her a longing for Rabbets, being then, as she thought, five Weeks gone with Child; the other Woman perceiving she was uneasy, charged her with longing for the Rabbet they cou’d not catch, but she deny’d it: soon after another Rabbet sprung up near the same place, which she endeavour’d likewise to catch. The same Night she dreamt that she was in a Field with those two Rabbets in her Lap, and awaked with a sick Fit, which lasted till Morning; from that time, for above three Months, she had a constant and strong desire to eat Rabbets, but being very poor and indigent cou’d not procure any. About seventeen Weeks after her longing, she was taken with a Flooding and violent Cholick Pains, which made her to miscarry of a Substance that she said was like a large lump of Flesh. Three Weeks after this, she was again taken with a Flooding, and voided another Substance like the former, but not so large. Notwithstanding these Accidents, she did not perceive her self to grow less, but continued with the Symptoms of a breeding Woman; insomuch that in the beginning of September, as she was working in the Hop-Ground, the Milk flow’d profusely from her Breasts; and as she had Children before, she thought she felt very differently from what she used to do. That on the 27th of September last she was taken very ill in the Night, and sent for her Mother in Law, who is a Midwife, and a neighbouring Woman, at which time she voided somewhat, which she took to be the Lights and Guts of a Pig, which her Husband carried to Mr. Howard, who some Days afterwards came to her and delivered her of some parts of the Animal first mention’d. After a Fortnight she was Churched, and thought all was over with her. She told me that her Husband had not cohabited with her, from the time of her first Miscarriage; and that after the first Rabbet was brought away, she had one regular Menstrual Evacuation.

The Account Mr. Howard gave was, in every material Circumstance, the same with the Woman’s Relation; he said the Guts and Liver (as he thought) of a Rabbet were brought to him, but he never knew or heard of the Woman or her Friends till then, and that at first he took this to be intended as an Imposition upon him: but was at last with much Persuasion prevailed on to go to assist her at Godlyman; that he did accordingly deliver her of part of the first Rabbet; that he attended her at Godlyman, till she was delivered of the ninth Rabbet; but that it being very inconvenient to attend her there, which made him neglect all his other Business, he had brought her to Guilford for better Conveniency.