Read More

Monstrous History Part II: The “Gothic” Influence of Ambroise Paré

Last week, I introduced the "monsters and marvels" of Ambroise Paré. This unique text is not a collection only (or even primarily) of cases witnessed by the good doctor. Such treatises also existed, and became more popular over time. Both Dr. William Smellie and Dr. William Hunter published extensively about their practices, and many doctors described difficult labors or unusual births. Paré's 15th century text is, however, much more a compendium; he collects tales from afar, gathers anecdotes from ancient manuscripts and compiles accounts from myth and local legend. Parts of the book actually discuss strange animals from foreign...

Read more

Read More

Monstrous History: The “Gothic” Influence of Ambroise Paré

Monsters are things that appear outside the course of Nature (and are usually signs of forthcoming misfortune).--Ambroise ParéWelcome back to the Dittrick Museum Blog!Last week, we discussed the "curious machine" of man-midwife Dr. William Smellie. This week, I will introduce Ambroise Pare and the birth of "monsters." The images that Dr. Parécollected in Des Monstres et prodigies(1573) continued to fire the imagination well into the 18th and 19th centuries, a time that witness the "birth" of Gothic monsters, as well. The Dittrick's collection includes a fine edition of this work, and it is replete with fascinating images, some of which...

Read more