Mary Toft Rabbit Birth Hoax
Poet involved
What happened
In 1726, Mary Toft, a poor woman from Godalming, Surrey, England, convinced physicians including royal doctors that she had given birth to multiple rabbits after a miscarriage influenced by maternal impression from chasing a rabbit. She produced animal parts over weeks, fooling experts until a porter was caught smuggling a rabbit and she confessed. The hoax captivated Britain, leading to pamphlets, satires, and medical debates on reproduction theories. It exposed credulity in Enlightenment medical circles.
Literary impact
The scandal produced a wave of satirical poetry and prints mocking physicians and credulity, influencing 18th-century English literary culture's emphasis on reason versus superstition. It fed into Jonathan Swift-era satire and later Gothic explorations of bodily horror and deception. Poets and writers used it to critique gender, class, and scientific hubris, shaping narrative poetry and prose on monstrous births and folklore.
Source: Wikipedia
