Maternal impression

The conception of a maternal impression rests on the belief that a powerful mental (or sometimes physical) influence working on the mother's mind may produce an impression, either general or definite, on the child she is carrying. The child might be said to be "marked" as a result. The theory of maternal impression was most frequently used to explain birth defects. It was discredited in the mid-to-late 18th century, but some continued to believe in the theory into the 19th century.

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