Sunday Word: Lithopedion
Feb. 21st, 2016 11:47 am![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png)
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lith·o·pe·di·on [lith′əpē′dē·ən]:
origin: (10th Century by Al-Zahrawi) Greek [λίθος παιδίον]; lithos= stone + paidion= child.
noun
"Stone Baby"
A very rare medical condition describing a fossilized infant found inside of a female patient.
This occurs when a child dies from ectopic pregnancy (pregnancy outside the womb), yet the fetus is too large to simply be reabsorbed by the body, and so a protective layer of calcium forms to separate the biological tissues and prevent infection to the mother; ostembryon; calcified fetus.
Eventually the entire corpse ossifies and may not be discovered until many years later. It's usually found during a full medical examination or from X-ray. This article describes a 92 year old woman "giving birth" to her 60 year old child, under just such circumstances.

Less than 300 cases have ever been recorded.
origin: (10th Century by Al-Zahrawi) Greek [λίθος παιδίον]; lithos= stone + paidion= child.
noun
"Stone Baby"
A very rare medical condition describing a fossilized infant found inside of a female patient.
This occurs when a child dies from ectopic pregnancy (pregnancy outside the womb), yet the fetus is too large to simply be reabsorbed by the body, and so a protective layer of calcium forms to separate the biological tissues and prevent infection to the mother; ostembryon; calcified fetus.
Eventually the entire corpse ossifies and may not be discovered until many years later. It's usually found during a full medical examination or from X-ray. This article describes a 92 year old woman "giving birth" to her 60 year old child, under just such circumstances.

Less than 300 cases have ever been recorded.
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Date: 2016-02-21 09:27 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2016-02-22 09:48 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2016-02-22 09:36 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2016-02-22 04:38 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2016-02-22 09:46 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2016-02-22 05:18 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2016-02-22 08:34 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2016-02-22 09:52 am (UTC)Equally amazing is the 10th century (so the year 900+) Muslim doctor who made many advances in medicine and most importantly birthing issues; he called his students his children and was a gentle, remarkable soul altogether: Al-Zahrawi. *linked in the word origin
(no subject)
Date: 2016-02-22 10:26 am (UTC)Al-Zahrawi is certainly worth remembering. I think there are an awful lot of people out there who don't even know there was once a Golden Age of Islam.
(no subject)
Date: 2016-02-22 03:06 pm (UTC)Agreed and that is too bad, I'm happy to learn from any ancient culture; I really pine for it.
At the same time though, I did not feel it was fair not to discuss a cultural trend in the negative such as "taharrush jamai" if it happens to extend from part of the same culture; a trend that will have to cease in the Western world at least and should absolutely not be permitted to continue.