The child is now an adult woman, and this
area upon the scalp remains red and sensitive to pressure, and is
almost devoid of hair. Mastin of Mobile, Alabama, reports a
curious instance of maternal impression. During the sixth month
of the pregnancy of the mother her husband was shot, the ball
passing out through the left breast. The woman was naturally much
shocked, and remarked to Dr. Mastin: "Doctor, my baby will be
ruined, for when I saw the wound I put my hands over my face, and
got it covered with blood, and I know my baby will have a bloody
face." The child came to term without a bloody face. It had,
however, a well-defined spot on the left breast just below the
site of exit of the ball from its father's chest. The spot was
about the size of a silver half-dollar, and had elevated edges of
a bright red color, and was quite visible at the distance of one
hundred feet. The authors have had personal communication with
Dr. Mastin in regard to this case, which he considers the most
positive evidence of a case of maternal impression that he has
ever met.
Paternal Impressions.--Strange as are the foregoing cases, those
of paternal impression eclipse them. Several are on record, but
none are of sufficient authenticity to warrant much discussion on
the subject.
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