Congenital deformity in a piglet, Sebaldus Justinus Brugmans, 1775-1819

Anatomisch Museum Rijks Universiteit LeidenFreaks of nature attracted a great deal of attention at the beginning of the nineteenth century. In the collections of curiosities of the time, but also in scientific collections, we find many such freaks. These might be fruits, which had grown together, but also monsters showing clear abnormalities. Like this piglet in which only one eye site is present, an abnormality called Cyclopes after the notorious giant from Homer's Odyssey. Since the deformity, whether found in pig or a human being is always accompanied by a trunk-shaped outgrowth on the forehead, such creatures tend to resemble elephants.