Medical oddity
From The Art and Popular Culture Encyclopedia
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"Since the time when man's mind first busied itself with subjects beyond his own self-preservation and the satisfaction of his bodily appetites, the anomalous and curious have been of exceptional and persistent fascination to him; and especially is this true of the construction and functions of the human body. Possibly, indeed, it was the anomalous that was largely instrumental in arousing in the savage the attention, thought, and investigation that were finally to develop into the body of organized truth which we now call Science."--Anomalies and Curiosities of Medicine (1896) by George M. Gould and Walter Lytle Pyle |
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A medical oddity is an unusual predicament or event which takes place in a medical context. Some examples of medical oddities might include: "lost and found" surgical instruments (in the body), grotesquely oversized tumors, (human) male pregnancy, rare or "orphan" illnesses, rare allergies (such as to water), strange births (extra or missing organs), and bizarre syndromes (such as Capgras delusion).
Medical oddities can also include unusual discoveries in purchased food, such as finding a severed finger or thumb in a hamburger.
Medical oddities are also known as medical curiosities. While not strictly paranormal, they are classically Fortean.
See also
- Rats, Lice and History
- Anatomical model
- Freak
- Teratology
- Cabinet of curiosities
- Mütter Museum
- Medical museum
