What a fascinating—and frankly, unsettling—read! The story of Mary Toft and the broader cultural obsession with "monstrous births" in early modern Europe is both haunting and deeply revealing. You've done a brilliant job highlighting how medicine, morality, and sensationalism converged on the female body, turning deeply personal experiences like childbirth into public spectacles.

It made me wonder, though—were these narratives unique to the West? In the history of Persian and Islamic medicine, texts like Al-Hawi and Zakhireye Khwarazmshahi also contain accounts of unusual births, often interpreted as omens or reflections of astrological alignments, or even parental morality. The parallels are striking.

Have you come across similar representations in non-Western traditions during your research? Or perhaps considered a comparative angle in future projects? I’d love to hear your thoughts.

Looking forward to your upcoming exhibit—this kind of work opens up much-needed conversations around how we’ve historically treated (and judged) women’s bodies. Bravo!