Holoprosencephaly Calf

I see (W. Wertelecki, M.D.) a calf with holoprosencephaly. Probably this ancient image reflects an awareness that such malformed animals were more frequent in some pastures – only later it was discovered that the cause was the ingestion of teratogenic weeds (Veratrum Californicum, among others). This represents a classic example of environmental causes of congenital malformations – a fact dogmatically rejected for centuries by Medicine and Sciences – the dogma held that the fetus was “safe” from environmental insults while in-utero. Consequently Biblical theologians blames mothers of malformed children of having “relations” with the Devil – without regrets they condemned mothers and children to die.