An entire body of philosophy according to the principles of the famous Renate Des Cartes in three books, (I) the institution ... (II) the history of nature ... (III) a dissertation of the want of sense and knowledge in brute animals ... / written originally in Latin by the learned Anthony Le Grand ; now carefully translated from the last corrections, alterations, and large additions of the author, never yet published ... by Richard Blome.

CHAP. III. Of Monsters.

I. VVhat a Monster is. THOSE we call Monsters are Natural Births, or Natural Living Creatures degene∣rating from the due and wonted disposition of their Species. Now they are said to degenerate if there happen any superfluous Member, or any necessa∣ry one be wanting, or any part be in a wrong place, or be of another kind than what it ought to be; so that those persons are said to be Mon∣strous who are either born without Arms, or with more than ought to be, or have them in a wrong place, as in the Thighs, or have the Head of a Ram, or other unhuman Creature, not to mention several other accidents of this nature.

II. Of a Two∣headed Twin Fac'd and double∣breasted Birth. There goes a tradition of a Boy, born in the Reign of the Emperor Theodosius at Emaus, who from the Navil downward was perfect as others of his kind, but upwards was all double; Head, Face and Breast, had the use of his Senses, and of all his double parts by turns, while one eat and drank the other abstained, and with the like vicissitude while one slept, the other waked; while one sport∣ed, the other was serious; discovering hereby effects of a different Mind and Temper, and in this man∣ner he lived near two years.

III. A Child born with∣out a Head. Another without Feet, others without Hands or Feet. In 1504. in Misnia, a Child was born without a Head, his Eyes being placed in his Breast. Ano∣ther in Nebritz, not far from the City Wutz was born without Feet. Others the Roman History mentions born without Hands and Feet.

IV. A Monster with one Arm in the Ear, and another in the Side. In Stetin was born a Monster shaped as follow∣eth, in the place of the Head there was an un∣formed Mass or Lump, rising and sinking like a Sheeps Intrals; in the place of one Ear stood out an Arm, where the Face should be, there was a tuft of Hair like a Cats Fur, and the Spawn of a Pike Fish, through the lower part whereof the Eyes cast a splendor like Glass; the Mouth was contra∣cted into a little hole, without Lips; there was something like a Nose, but wonderfully small; nor was there any appearance of a Neck: Another Arm stuck out from one side, but there was no sign either of Back or Breast, excepting that a little small Line seemed to supply the place of the Back∣bone; it was neither Hermaphrodite, nor of any Sex. There was also in the year 1516. another strange Creature born, which lived to be a Man, having no other Head but what grew out from the Navil, yet it took in nourishment as freely as if it had been in its proper place.

V. A Monster born with the Head of a Dog or Ape. In 1560. there was born at Basil a Man-child with a fierce and grim Visage, having indeed an indifferent well compacted Body, but Head and Face all hairy, and more resembling that of a Dog, Cat or Ape, than of a Human Creature. He liv'd no longer than about an hour and a half. Near Lauffenburg, a Town in Germany, on the Borders of Switzerland, a Child was born with a rough and frightful Head, and the Feet of a Goose.

VI. There might possibly be a foundation of Monsters from the beginning. Of all these strange Births various causes may be assigned: For in the first place, we may without offence believe that the first Seed-plot of Mon∣sters as well as of perfect Creatures, was planted in the beginning, and that Generation only con∣duces to render them capable of a sensible growth; nor doth it avail to say, that GOD cannot be the Author of Monsters, for he would be so neverthe∣less, tho' the first Seed-plot of Monsters were not till after the beginning; and there is a ready answer, viz. That there is nothing in the World except Im∣morality, of which GOD is not the Author.

VII. Or some Canse may be in the Conception. 2dly, The cause of any Monstrous defect is ei∣ther in the Conception, or the Egg, in which some passages are by accident obstructed, or some Fibres pluckt off; or in the Womb, when the Placenta, in∣to which the Male Stock is ingraffed, hath suffer∣ed any defect; or in the decision▪of the Conception, or last efflorescence.

VIII. Or from the streightness of the VVomb. 3dly, These Monstrous Bodies may possibly pro∣ceed from the streightness of the Womb, whence HIPPOCRATES compares an over-streight Womb to a stony place, which causes the Tree that springs up there, to become bent or dismembred; or to the narrow Neck of a Vessel which stifles the growth of the Cucumber when tender, and con∣tracts and curtails it when growing to matu∣rity.

IX. Or from the Imaginati∣on. 4ly. The force of Imagination may produce a defect, or exorbitancy in the Birth, as we oft see Warts and Spots imprest upon the Birth by Ima∣gination; and these Spots are not always the simple resemblances of Cherries, Mulberries, but also sometimes of Entrails, as Liver, Heart, &c. Now if this Imagination have such a power upon one part, why may it not have the like upon many, nay upon all?

X. How Twins come to be born with Bodies join∣ed or fast∣ned to each other. Animals which bear Twins, sometimes bring forth Monstrous Births. So we see may times out of one and the same Egg, a double Monster pro∣duc'd, a Chicken with four Wings and as many Feet, and sometimes with two Heads. Twins oft∣times are born with their two Bodies joined toge∣ther into one; as at Constance, near a place called Abronium, there were born two Children, Male and Female, with two Heads, four Arms, and as many Feet, that is, each of them had all their Mem∣bers compleat, only they were joined together a∣bout the Navil.

The Reason seems to be, because altho' Twins in most Animals are wrapt up in the same Mem∣bran, called Chorion, yet each of the Births hath its proper Membran, called Amnion, and therein a separate Conception; yet sometimes it happens that these two Membrans, mix as it were into one, or at last mutually intersect each other, whence cer∣tainly arises a great confusion of parts, for this

the Fibres and the Canals have proper to them∣selves, viz. that they easily join into a Contexture; so there is not a total confusion of the Colliqua∣ments, but only some commixture and compressi∣on which will cause the two Twins, thus united together, to have some parts in common; and the Colliquament, upon the consumption of one of the salient points, to turn into a duplicated Animals, and consequently some Members will prove super∣fluous. The same thing happens in Fruits, if they be crowded up in straight places before they arrive to their due magnitude, as hath been already hint∣ed, tho' Plants seldom undergo this sort of failures and lapses of Nature, because they are more plain and simple, and the Organs of their Body are les∣ser and less exact; so that in their constitution they give Generating Nature less occasion to err. For it is very obvious to err in composing works of divers parts join'd each to other with most curious Artifice, as the Members of Animals are. Whence it appears, that Mothers consult very ill for them∣selves and Children, while they live idely and lasi∣ly at home, and incommode the Child within them, while they sit double or cross-leg'd at their Needle-work. Forasmuch as by this overmuch con∣traction, they bring Children into the World Bunch-Backt, Splay-Footed, Crooked or Awry, or some way or other Mishapen.

XI. How Afri∣ca comes chiefly to abound in Monsters. Sometimes also Monsters are produc'd from the various commixture of divers Seeds, that is, when the sorts of Seeds are taken in at several times one before, another after. Hence it is that Africa is generally said to abound in Monsters, because Ani∣mals of different kind resort from all parts of the Country to drink of what Streams of Fresh Water they can find, which are fewer than in any other quarter of the World; and so rencountring each other, they couple promiscuously together, and bring forth productions never intended by Nature.

XII. How it may be known whether Monsters, having double parts, be two Ani∣mals, or but one. The next thing to be considered is, whether Monsters that have double parts, can be said to be two Animals or one. To determine this the better, it is to be supposed, that the Heart is the principal part of every Animal; forasmuch as all other parts derive their original from it; so that if there be two Hearts in any Animal, it will necessa∣rily follow that the Animal possessing those two Hearts is a double Animal. For as it is the prin∣ciple of the Operations of the sensitive Soul, ac∣cording to the Internal Senses, and in part according to the motions of the Appetite; so it is vulgarly said to be the principle of the Vege∣tative and sensitive Soul, according to the motions of the Appetite. Hereupon SENNERTUS infers, that that Monstrous Birth of Emaus having two Heads and two Hearts, was to be accounted two Men: But that the other born in the year 1531, who had two Heads, and but only one Heart and lived to Mans Estate, was to be reck∣ned no more than but one Man, which he pro∣ved by this Argument viz. that the two Heads perpetually testified their consent to the same acti∣ons, had the same appetite, the same hanger and thirst, spake in the same manner, had the same de∣sire to accompany with their Wife, the same desire to exonerate Nature. But in the other who had two Hearts, there was not found the same conspi∣racy and consent of Affections and desires: what this would have at one time, the other affected at another time; sometimes they agreed, sometimes they squabled.

XIII. Monstrous Births in other Ani∣mals besides Mankind. Monstrous Births proceed not only from Man∣kind, but also from other Animals; forasmuch as being equally endued with Corporeal Imagination, they may be as eagerly intent in the beholding of any Object, and by this means may induce vari∣ous Forms upon their Births. So Jacob made a great part of his Unkle Labans Flock his own, by the ringstreaked and variously spotted Rods he cast before the Ews when they were ready to conceive: Thus we draw fine Pictures upon the Wings and Tails of divers sorts of Birds; thus we produce delicate breeds of Dogs and Horses curiously streakt and spotted; and who knows but that that won∣derfully shapt Monster described by FINCELI∣US might be produced by this or some such like artifice; that Monster, I say, which being calv'd by a Cow, had the Feet of a Calf, a Mans Head, with both Ears also like a Man, and Hair of an indifferent length, a Breast also and Teats on them like a Human Creature. Nor must the Turky Hen be past by, which had the Body of a Peacock, the Crest and Dewlap of a Game Cock, a Voice like that of the Peacock, and a noble display of Co∣lours on the Tail; for such is the force and power of the imaginary, tho' corporeal Faculty, that when Animals behold any thing attentively, it makes so deep an impression in them, that they impart those impressions of various forms upon their Births.

XIV. But most in Man∣kind. But there are more differences and varieties in Man than in other Creatures, by reason that swift∣ness of Thought, readiness of Mind and variety of Fancy and Ingenuity makes impressions of various forms, whereas other Creatures, have for the most part the same reception of Images which are pro∣duc'd from the variety of Tracts imprest in the Brain, whereby it comes to pass, that a Womans Imagination induces a strange and borrowed Form and Image, no way like to the begetter, but to∣tally differing from them.

XV. Whence the deformity of some Bodies. Now upon serious reflection of all that hath been said on this Subject, there is nothing more odious and detestable to me, than to see wanton Women so excessively delight themselves with Dogs and Apes, as to carry them in their Bosoms, hug them, stroak them, and be continually handling and making much of them; since by this familia∣rity, and having these Creatures perpetually in their sight, the imperfect Nature of Women is apt to conceive in the Mind one or other strange form or feature, and so fix upon the Birth a Face like some of those Animals they converse with, or at least some way or other specially illfavoured. Yea, sometimes Children are brought into the world with odd kind of shap'd Bodies, Visages out of the common road of Human Aspect, distorted Mouths and Cheeks, inflate like the Picture of the North∣wind, and all by the Mothers regards continual∣ly and intently fixt upon brutal and unwonted Objects.