Women of Controversy: Mary Toft

Mary Toft (early 1700s–1763) was a poor English woman from outside of London who became the subject of considerable controversy when she tricked doctors into believing that she had given birth to rabbits. 

For Further Reading: 

• The Curious Case of Mary Toft

• An Extraordinary Delivery of Rabbits

• Why Historians Are Reexamining the Case of the Woman Who Gave Birth to Rabbits

• What Mary Toft Felt: Women’s Voices, Pain, Power and the Body

• Birthing Bunnies: An 18th-Century Woman’s Bizarre Medical Hoax

This month we're talking about women who found themselves at the center of controversy -- whether deserved or not.

History classes can get a bad rap, and sometimes for good reason. When we were students, we couldn’t help wondering... where were all the ladies at? Why were so many incredible stories missing from the typical curriculum? Enter, Womanica. On this Wonder Media Network podcast we explore the lives of inspiring women in history you may not know about, but definitely should.

Every weekday, listeners explore the trials, tragedies, and triumphs of groundbreaking women throughout history who have dramatically shaped the world around us. In each 5 minute episode, we’ll dive into the story behind one woman listeners may or may not know–but definitely should. These diverse women from across space and time are grouped into easily accessible and engaging monthly themes like Educators, Villains, Indigenous Storytellers, Activists, and many more. Womanica is hosted by WMN co-founder and award-winning journalist Jenny Kaplan. The bite-sized episodes pack painstakingly researched content into fun, entertaining, and addictive daily adventures.

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:02):
Hello from Wonder Media Network. I'm Jenny Kaplan and this
is Womanica. This month, we're talking about women who found
themselves at the center of controversy, whether deserved or not.
Today's Womaniquin was a hop, skip and a jump away
from convincing the eighteenth century medical community that she could
do the impossible. She even managed to dupe the King

(00:23):
of England. Her elaborate hoax was a national sensation and
turned science as people knew it on its head. Let's
talk about Mary Toft. Mary was born at the beginning
of the eighteenth century and lived in a small market
town about forty miles outside of London. At seventeen years old,
she married Joshua Toft, a textile worker, and the couple

(00:45):
stayed in town to raise their children. Work was often
grueling and hard to come by, so the family lived
in relative poverty. Then one day things took a turn.
In seventeen twenty six, when Mary was several weeks pregnant,
she came upon a rabbit. For Mary, this was a
wonderful surprise. Catching a rabbit promised a free and delicious dinner. Unfortunately,

(01:09):
when Mary chased the rabbit, it escaped and left her
empty handed. After that day, Mary became obsessed with the
furry creatures, constantly craving rabbit stew, rabbit pie, or any
other rabbit beamed dish. Much to her chagrin. Mary's new
obsession was too expensive to be covered by her family's
meager income. A few months later, rabbits came back into

(01:33):
the picture. Despite having miscarried a month prior, Mary appeared
to be in labor yet again. Mary's local doctor, John Howard,
came to help her, but noticed that instead of a
human baby, Mary had birthed several dead and dismembered animals.
There was a cat's paw and head, and then rabbits,

(01:54):
Lots of dead rabbits, one after the other. Mary had
already given birth to about eleven rabbits by the time
John reported her strange case to other doctors in the area.
Many people thought John was playing a prank and ignored him.
But when King George the First heard about John's supernatural tale,

(02:15):
he sent his court anatomist Nathaniel Saint Andre, to investigate further.
Saint Andre was known for his over the top personality
and rather underdeveloped understanding of medicine. When he arrived to
inspect the scene. Mary was just giving birth to her
fifteenth rabbit. Saint Andre could barely believe his eyes. Here

(02:38):
was a human woman expelling dead rabbits from her own body.
San Andre didn't ask many questions after seeing the birth
in person. Thoroughly excited by his discovery and the novelty
of the situation, he rushed back to London to alert
the King. He brought a rabbit with him to show
to King George. The creature was pickled and for reserved

(03:00):
for safekeeping. After hearing san Andre's testimony, the King ordered
that Mary be taken to a bathhouse in London where
she could be studied by other scientists. In exchange, she
was promised a royal pension. Soon Mary became a sensation.
San Andre published an exaggerated account of her births titled
A Short Narrative of an Extraordinary Delivery of Rabbits, which

(03:23):
made big waves throughout London. People were fascinated by the story.
They hoped it might explain why some children were born
with certain abnormal differences. Many justified Mary's experience by citing
the misguided concept of maternal impression. This was the idea
that women who had impactful experiences while pregnant, like not

(03:45):
catching and thus craving a rabbit, would have children with
corresponding birth defects. For a short few days, it seemed
like the enraptured public was on board with San Andre's
fantastical claims. But it wasn't long until other doctors began
to look into Mary's case with a more critical eye.
After observing Mary themselves, several of these men publicly declared

(04:08):
that they thought the whole thing was a hoax. What's more,
a porter at the house where Mary was staying reported
that Mary and her family had tried to bribe him
into smuggling pieces of rabbit into her quarters. At first,
Mary was indignant and denied the accusations, but later, when
a doctor suggested she go through a painful and experimental

(04:29):
surgery to look at her reproductive organs, she admitted that
the whole thing had been a lie. Despite the fact
that Mary did not actually birth rabbits, The lie itself
was bold and required a skillful and painful performance to
convince people that the rabbits had come from her. She
had physically placed the dead creatures in her body, sometimes

(04:51):
for several weeks at a time at great risk of
bacterial infection. Her admission of guilt sent shockwaves through London.
Just four days after he'd published his exposet. San Andre
was publicly shamed for his incompetence and fell out of
favor with the Royal Court. The medical profession as a
whole was undermined by the hoax. Some people denounced Mary

(05:15):
for being the pawn of her greedy husband. Others attacked
her directly and derided her with sexist tropes. Mary herself
passed the blame onto her husband, mother in law, and inexplicably,
the wife of a local organ grinder. Officials had little
sympathy for Mary, and she was arrested for being a
notorious and vile cheat. She was then given a short

(05:36):
prison sentence. While she was locked up, the public would
come to gawk at her in her public cell. After
she was released from jail, Mary gave birth to a
seemingly healthy and human baby girl. Her notoriety persisted for
several more years, but eventually she faded into obscurity. All

(05:56):
month were talking about women of controversy. For more information,
find us on Faith We Spook on Instagram at Wamanica
podcast special thanks to Liz Kaplan, my favorite sister and
co creator, talk to you tomorrow.