A review by nerdietalk
On Monsters and Marvels by Ambroise Pare

3.0

Fascinating historical document. Through Pare's writing, we can see how the idea of "monsters" was defined as a supernatural and scientific concept. Normal birth defects were explained as an act of God, while strange, fictional creatures were assumed to be real and somehow caused by getting hurt in the womb. Excellent insight into the mind of 1500s scientists from. The text can be dry, but worth taking a look.