Lithopedion
Warning: This post discusses items relating to Flash Pulp 121, and definitely contains spoilers. If you haven’t listened to the episode, but intend to, skip the content below.
I just wanted to follow up the last Blackhall with a quick note about the reality of the unpleasant situation in question.
Quotes are from the wikipedia:
A lithopedion, or stone baby, is a rare phenomenon which occurs most commonly when a fetus dies during an abdominal pregnancy, is too large to be reabsorbed by the body, and calcifies on the outside, shielding the mother’s body from the dead tissue of the baby and preventing infection.
I’ve opted not to post the related photos, as they’re easy enough to find via a Google image search should you be so inclined – but, be forewarned: it isn’t a pleasant sight.
The condition was first described in a treatise by the physician Albucasis in the 10th century AD, but fewer than 300 cases have been noted in 400 years of medical literature.