Stuff You Missed in History Class Behind the Scenes Minis: Odd Baby Train
Jan 30, 2026
They laugh over bizarre historic illustrations of fetuses and how art style can mislead medical reading. They compare artistic conventions to real cases of rickets and discuss Medici children and indoor lifestyles. Anecdotes about George Stephenson reveal his mechanical tinkering, surprising sewing skills, and reflections on literacy and kindness.
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Ridiculous Medieval Fetal Illustrations
- Tracy B. Wilson describes finding hilarious medieval illustrations of fetuses that look like tiny adults in a water-bottle-shaped uterus.
- Her friends joked one looked like "a fully grown man in the devil's water bottle," highlighting how strange historical anatomy art can be.
Art Style Versus Medical Diagnosis
- Holly Fry and Tracy note Mannerist art can make bodies look elongated, complicating claims that paintings depict rickets.
- Artistic style may explain bone or limb oddities rather than actual vitamin deficiencies.
Medici Children And Rickets Bones
- Tracy recounts Medici children's skeletons showing rickets, prompting speculation they were kept indoors and lacked sun.
- The Medici bones suggested childhood deaths and potential vitamin D deficiency from indoor life and breastfeeding.
