119. Birthing Rabbits

About this episode

The episode explores the bizarre case of Mary Toft, who claimed to give birth to rabbits in 1726, deceiving many until her hoax was uncovered.

Mary Toft was an English woman who, in 1726, claimed to have given birth to rabbits, successfully deceiving many doctors, scientists, and even the king for several weeks. The poor, illiterate woman from Surrey became the subject of intense public fascination and a national spectacle until the hoax was exposed, leading to her arrest for fraud. She eventually confessed that she had inserted animal parts, procured by her family, into her own body to simulate monstrous births. Producer/editor: @yunkjunk IG and TikTok: @insidethemorguepod

People in this episode

Hosts: Jess, Alice

Topics covered

• hoaxes
• historical fraud
• medical deception
• public fascination
• animal births

Keywords

• Mary Toft
• rabbit births
• fraud
• 1726
• medical history
• hoax
• public spectacle

Mentioned in this episode

Places: England, Surrey

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