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2024, Number 1

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Arch Inv Mat Inf 2024; 15 (1)

From legend to history: the enigma of countess Margaretha's 365 children and other stories of multiple births

Ortiz-Hidalgo C

Language: Spanish
References: 25
Page: 32-39
PDF size: 421.59 Kb.


ABSTRACT

According to a medieval legend, in the Dutch town of Loosduinen, Countess Margaretha gave birth to 365 children. This occurred as a result of having insulted a woman who was carrying twins, believing that they must have different fathers. The woman, offended, cursed the countess to have as many children as days in the year. The miracle occurred on Good Friday in 1276 when the countess gave birth to 365 children. The Countess died along with her children shortly after. To this day, the Loosduinen church preserves a commemorative tablet and two basins where they were supposedly used to baptize the 365 children. The most probable hypothesis is that the countess had a hydatidiform mole. This placental condition is characterized by abnormal growth of the chorionic villi, which degenerate and take on a shape resembling bunches of grapes. It is likely that, at that time, with limited medical knowledge, these villi were misinterpreted as fetuses. Thus, the legend arose from a poorly-understood medical event at the time.


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