The maternal impression, according to a long-discredited medical theory, was a phenomenon used to explain the existence of birth defects and certain congenital disorders. The theory stated that a stimulus, when experienced by a pregnant woman, could have an effect on the development of the fetus. For example, it was sometimes supposed that the mother of the Elephant Man was frightened by an elephant during her pregnancy, thus "imprinting" the memory of the elephant onto the gestating fetus. It was sometimes also felt that mental problems, such as schizophrenia and depression, were reflections of similar feelings in the mother. Medicine is a branch of health science concerned with restoring and maintaining health. ... A congenital disorder is a medical condition or defect that is present at or before birth (for example, congenital heart disease). ... A stimulus is the following: In physiology, a stimulus (physiology) is something external that elicits or influences a physiological or psychological activity or response. ... A pregnant woman Pregnancy is the process by which a mammalian female carries a live offspring from conception until it develops to the point where the offspring is capable of living outside the womb. ... Fetus at eight weeks A fetus (alternatively foetus or fœtus) is an embryo in later stages of development, from the third month of pregnancy until birth in humans. ... Elephant Man (born 1976 as ONeil Bryant in Kingston, Jamaica, also known as The Energy God) is one of the most colorful characters on the dancehall scene. ... Genera and Species Loxodonta Loxodonta cyclotis Loxodonta africana Elephas Elephas maximus Proboscidea is an order including only one extant family, Elephantidae or the elephants, with three species: the Savannah Elephant and Forest Elephant (which were collectively known as the African Elephant), and the Asian Elephant (formerly known as the Indian... The word depression can mean: A decrease of functional activity in behavior patterns. ...
The theory of maternal impression was largely abandoned by the 20th century, with the development of genetic theory. (19th century - 20th century - 21st century - more centuries) Decades: 1900s 1910s 1920s 1930s 1940s 1950s 1960s 1970s 1980s 1990s As a means of recording the passage of time, the 20th century was that century which lasted from 1901–2000 in the sense of the Gregorian calendar (1900–1999 in the... Genetics (from the Greek genno γεννώ= give birth) is the science of genes, heredity, and the variation of organisms. ...