animal infestation.
The horror of parasitic infestation is extended in folklore to include the fear that certain types of animal (usually
frogs
,
toads
, newts, or snakes) could live and grow inside people; allegedly true reports are fairly common from the 18th century to the present day. In most cases, the person is said to have drunk pond or river water containing the eggs or newly hatched young, which then grow in the stomach, causing great discomfort. Typical of the many realistic ‘medical’ reports is the following, reprinted in
N&Q
from The
North Lindsey
Star of 20 February 1892:
A woman named Jane Rowe, residing at Marazion, in Cornwall, has for several years ...