588 Ulysses Aldrovandi

# Natural Skin Monstrously Defiled by Wounds

In the study of monsters, "natural wounds" are the name given to those injuries inflicted by Nature upon fetuses while they are still in the womb. According to Lycosthenes, in the year 1556, a woman in Basel gave birth to an infant with nostrils so severely cleft that the brain could easily be seen through them. Furthermore, the most illustrious Trincavella admits to having seen several infants born with split lips; as adults, these individuals suffered from significant speech impediments. Similarly, in 1557, Lycosthenes observed a boy in Basel born with a hole in the back of his head, as if it had been made by a dagger, from which blood slowly seeped. Because of this injury, the child died shortly after birth.

Additionally, Schenck records that in 1606, a monstrous boy was observed in Haguenau. He survived for several days despite having a round, gaping hole above his navel that penetrated into the deepest parts of his abdomen, as if he had been stabbed with a dagger. Consequently, the food he consumed and even his waste immediately flowed out through this natural wound.

Lycosthenes also mentions a child born in Venice with a mouth split in many places; because of its other, even more foul deformities, it was not shown in public. He also records another boy born in Meissen with his skull divided at the forehead, as if it had been split by a sword. Similarly, in Genoa in 1555, a French woman gave birth to a hermaphrodite infant whose intestines protruded through an open back as if through a wound. In Plauen, in the region of Vogtland, a newborn was seen with its belly so open that all its internal organs were visible.

So far, we have discussed specific limbs of fetuses being wounded, but a more remarkable sight occurs when the entire surface of the skin appears torn as the infant emerges from the womb. This happened in Saxony in February 1545, where a certain woman gave birth to an offspring of truly horrific appearance. While the body was otherwise complete and well-formed, the skin appeared entirely wounded and shredded, except for the head, which was crowned with a long cap resembling a Turkish hat, as recounted by Lycosthenes and seen in Figure I.

Job Fincel, as cited by Lycosthenes, relates that even a beast was once born with its skin severely torn. This was a horse that came into the world near Königsberg in 1555, a truly monstrous creature. A membranous substance formed what looked like breeches and a doublet, which the animal seemed to be wearing; however, the rest of its skin was split and tattered, as appears in Figure II. We can call this a "natural laceration," since Nature herself fashions it within the mother's womb.

Regarding the causes of these conditions, Aristotle wrote that the seminal excrement contains a specific heat suited to every part of the body, just as each limb requires. If this heat is either lacking or excessive, the part being formed becomes either defective or damaged. From this, we can conclude that sometimes, when the formative faculty is weakened by a lack of this heat, injured limbs are produced.

Parents can also be the cause of these monstrous births if they engage in intercourse while suffering from wounds themselves, thereby procreating offspring similar to themselves. However, one must also consider the narrowness of the womb, frequent movement of the fetus, or the irregular movements of the pregnant woman—all of which can harm the tender limbs of infants in surprising ways.