Monstrous birth

A monstrous birth is a birth in which a defect renders the animal or human child so malformed that it is considered a "monstrous". Historically, such births were often interpreted as omens, signs of God, or moral warnings, and used by society as a tool for manipulation. The development of obstetrics helped to dispel spurious associations with evil, but the historical significance of these fetuses remains noteworthy. In early and medieval Christianity, monstrous births were presented as posing difficult theological problems about humanity and salvation.