Long ago, in August 1726, Mary Toft had an unfortunate miscarriage at her home in England. A miracle would change Mary's life the next month when she amazingly gave birth. Not to a child of course, but to a monstrous cat-like birth. Yikes! How could someone have given birth to a mystery cat creature with the spine of an eel? No one could explain it. In October, the first of 17 more animals would be born from Mary. What were these creatures? RABBITS!
This is a true story, documented thoroughly by respected physicians sent by King George I. In Mary's time, it was an accepted notion that a woman's environment, or even her imagination if vivid enough, could affect her offspring. Following the suggestion of her neighbors, a woman feeling feverish was holding a toad until it died to rid her of the fever. Her husband "requested" intercourse, and since she was still feverish she held the toad throughout. She then gave birth to a child with the face of a toad. In Mary's case, she claimed to have a recurring dream of being in a field and being approached by a rabbit that she followed but could never catch. "I must have made a burrough in my womb," I imagine her saying, coming off as a completely plausible explanation.
The physicians that came to document these miraculous births would observe that Mary was not with child, and when examining her closely, that she had not placed the rabbits inside herself. Mary would then cry out with pain and unbelievably birth a small rabbit. Her husband Joshua and neighbor Mary Gill were always present, being sure that the newly famed Mary was always receiving proper care. News of the extraordinary births spread throughout the town and many physicians were called to authenticate the claim.
Sir Richard Manningham was one of these doctors, and one of few skeptics of Mary's scandalous story. She was forced into isolation to be closely observed with no possibility of an assistant to sneak the rabbits in. After giving birth to 17 rabbits, when Mary entered isolation the births suddenly stopped. Sir Manningham promptly wrote a pamphlet titled, "An Exact Diary of What Was Observed Upon Close Attendance of Mary Toft, The Pretended Rabbit Breeder...". Mary was pressured to confess and eventually stated that it was her neighbor Mary Gill's idea. The Mary's got together and formulated the scam as a way to make enough money to live lavishly forever. Joshua was providing the rabbits, which many true rabbit breeders in the town admitted to later. Mary Toft would then kill the small rabbits, and in a savage and embarrassing act, secretly insert them into herself to "birth" moments later.
Mary was the hottest topic of the time, and even after her confession some physicians and most townsfolk believed the story to be true. The pamphlets are now collectors items, worth all the money Mary dreamed of. Imagine Paris Hilton going through such great measures to be gossiped about.... oh wait, isn't Nicole Ritchie pregnant??!
Read the Book: "The Girl Who Gave Birth to Rabbits" by Clifford A. Pickover (a self-proclaimed polymath....)
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