Genetics, molar pregnancies and medieval ideas of monstrous births: the lump of flesh in The King of Tars.

The medieval English romance The King of Tars gives an account of a birth of a lump of flesh. This has been considered as fantastic and monstrous in past literature, the horrific union of a Christian and Saracen. However, while the text certainly speaks to miscegenation, we propose that this lump of flesh is actually a hydatidiform mole. We trace the hydatidiform mole from antiquity, surrounding it with contextual medieval examples, from theology, history and medicine, that also describe abnormal births as 'lumps of flesh'. By discussing medieval ideas of monsters as a warning sign, we interpret the lump of flesh in terms of abnormal births, seed transmission, parental contribution and sin. Ideas of warning, blame and intervention present themselves as a response to moles both in medieval texts as well as in modern reactions to hydatidiform moles. We explore the epigenetics of hydatidiform moles and relate them to the medieval text. In The King of Tars, the fault for the lump of flesh could reside with either parent; we find that this is also the case in the genetic formation of the hydatidiform mole; we also argue that the epigenetics supports medieval theories of seed transmission.

[The relationship between physician and patient in the early 18th century based on research into Johann Storch's case studies on mole pregnancies]. / Die Arzt-Patienten-Beziehung zu Beginn des 18. Jahrhunderts, untersucht anhand Johann Storchs Kasuistik zu Molenschwangerschaften.

This paper describes the physician-patient relationship in early modern Thuringia. Its main historical source are a hundred patient records concerning 'mole pregnancies'. The physician Johann Storch (1681-1751) published these records in 1749. Firstly, the quantitative exploration shows that among his patients were not only wealthy people but also wives of craftsmen and day labourers. The paper explores the conceptual history of mole pregnancies since Hippocrates' times. It also describes the social role of healers and patients and addresses the issue of god's role. Although theoretical works of the time emphasize the important role of god, he does not feature strongly in the patient records investigated. The body image of Storch's patients is also thematised in the paper. Storch and his patients had the same perception of body and illness. Unlike today, physicians and patients shared similar notions about illness and healing.

Coriocarcinoma de ovario: Reporte de un caso

Se presenta un caso de una niña de 10 años, paciente del Hospital Provincial cotopaxi, que ingresa con cuadro caracterizado por sangrado genital de 20 días de evolución, útero leñoso y doloroso. La paciente habia sido objeto de una vilolación 5 meses antes de su ingreso . Luego de la realización de una ecografía pélvica se determina diagnóstico de mol hidatiforme, por lo que se intenta evacuarla por medio de una aspiración endouterina. Al no conseguir el vaciamiento completo del contenido uterino se lapartomiza a la paciente, hallándose una masa tumoral dependiente de ovario derecho. La misma que se extrae, Luego del análisis histopatológico se determina la existencia de un coriocarcinoma...