During the early nineteenth century there was a huge interest in physical anomalies in both humans and animals, both from a scientific point of view as well as a more voyeuristic fascination from the general public. There was a huge demand for taxidermied and preserved specimens of deformed animals, and many such examples were showcased in sideshows, museums and private collections throughout the United States, Europe, and Great Britain.
Macabre Fascination
Up until the early twentieth century, taxidermied animals displaying deformities were not an uncommon sight in farmhouses. Farmers often kept newborn animals that were born with extra limbs or other such abnormalities, and took them to a local taxidermist to have them stuffed and mounted. The specimens undoubtedly made an interesting conversation piece for visitors, and it wasn’t long before people started charging money to allow people to see them. Soon, anatomists began acquiring these ‘monstrosities’ for their own personal studies. The Scottish anatomist and physician William Hunter had an enormous collection, much of which is still on public display today.
Faking It
As demand grew for specimens from private collectors, it wasn’t long before taxidermists began to fabricate their own creations. Siamese animals were often made by stitching two separate animals together, with animals supposedly having two heads being the most popular. The stitching was often well concealed, but the unusual symmetry of the piece is usually a good indication that it is not authentic. It also became popular to sew two different species together to create hybrid or mythical animals. Small monkeys were commonly sewn onto fish to create ‘mermaids’, and pigs and goats were sometimes altered to give them human-like forms.
Another popular creation was miniature dogs, which were usually made by either mounting still-born puppies to give them a more adult posture, or else were carefully crafted models which were then covered in fur to give them a realistic appearance. These specimens were purported to be tiny adult dogs, and often sold for large sums of money to unsuspecting collectors.
Scepticism
It was partly due to the prevalence of these fakes that when genuine scientific discoveries were made they were often dismissed as hoaxes by the scientific community. Famously, when the duck billed platypus was discovered in Australia, British scientists insisted that it had to be a fake, and that such a ludicrous looking creature could not exist. Robert Knox, the Scottish anatomist, even took a pair of scissors to the pelt that had been sent from New South Wales to check for stitches that would confirm the specimens inauthenticity.
Similarly, the British ornithologist Richard Bowdler Sharpe was convinced that the newly discovered ‘King of Saxony’ Bird of Paradise was the work of a taxidermist when the species was described to him in the late nineteenth century. The bird had extraordinary plumage that Sharpe was sure could not exist in nature. It was only when he saw specimens with his own eyes that he admitted that the creature was indeed real.
Scientific Study
Of course, the study of these physical abnormalities (known as teratology) is invaluable for understanding and preventing the causes of birth defects in humans. By studying cases of abnormal development in animals, scientists have been able to identify numerous environmental and genetic factors that can cause birth defects and developmental problems, including lead, fetal alcohol syndrome, and now discontinued medications such as thalidomide.
Sources and Further Reading
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Teratology
Turner, A., Taxidermy, (London, 2013)