birthmark

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The Columbia Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition | 2008 | The Columbia Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition. Copyright 2008 Columbia University Press. (Hide copyright information) Copyright

birthmark pigmented maldevelopment of the skin that varies in size, either present at birth or developing later. Birthmarks may appear as moles (melanocytic nevi) that vary in color from light brown to blue, and are either flat or raised above the surface of the skin. They are usually benign, but do rarely develop into malignant melanoma, a form of skin cancer . The so-called port-wine stains and strawberry marks involve vascular tissue. The flat port-wine stains can be made lighter with the use of laser therapy. The strawberry marks generally disappear a few years after birth.

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"birthmark." The Columbia Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition. 2008. Encyclopedia.com. 19 Dec. 2009 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

"birthmark." The Columbia Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition. 2008. Encyclopedia.com. (December 19, 2009). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1E1-birthmar.html

"birthmark." The Columbia Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition. 2008. Retrieved December 19, 2009 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1E1-birthmar.html

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birthmark

A Dictionary of Nursing | 2008 | © A Dictionary of Nursing 2008, originally published by Oxford University Press 2008. (Hide copyright information) Copyright

birthmark persistent, visible marks on the surface of the body, present from the time of birth, usually a naevus: a local overgrowth of blood vessels, or haemangioma.

From ancient times, birthmarks have traditionally been seen as a consequence of a mother's fears, fantasies, or unfulfilled cravings, and this idea acquired a certain doctrinal character during the Enlightenment. Before the eighteenth century the association of maternal passions and emotions with skin blemishes, with certain forms of bodily deformities, and, ultimately, with ‘monsters’ was based on little more than numerous testimonials and anecdotes. Both Aristotle and Hippocrates had cited the maternal imagination to account for birthmarks and abnormalities. It was also in that vein of pathological explanation that the theory survived during the Middle Ages and the Renaissance. Though it was provisionally abandoned by the scientific élite of the seventeenth century, discussion on whether there was any form of correlation between maternal emotions and fetal conformation continued during the eighteenth century and in Romanticism, in popular culture, in folklore, and, to a lesser extent, in scientific and pseudoscientific literature.

Prior to the first important systematization of the powers of maternal imagination, by the French theologian and philosoper Malebranche in the late seventeenth century, stories about the effects of the mother's thoughts upon the fetus had been on the increase, mainly in compendia and treatises of natural history. These sources show, however, considerable variation in the basic principles: similar causes, the fears and cravings of the mother, did not produce the same effects in all cases, and for the most part, they did not produce any effect whatsoever. On the other hand, even the most fervent upholder of the powers of the imagination on the fetus was willing to call into question the veracity of many of the stories compiled within scholarly or popular traditions. Beginning with the book of Genesis, where Jacob is said to have produced spotted cattle by presenting the animals with lined rods, the alleged powers of the mother's imagination resulted in the most extraordinary fabrications. The French historian Paradin, for example, wrote about the niece of Pope Nicholas III, who gave birth to a child covered with hair, and with bear claws instead of fingers. Another was born with his tripes hanging from his belly because the slaughter of a sheep was contemplated by the mother. And the Dutch scholar Schenkius informs us that a woman from Louvain who conceived on the day of the Epiphany gave birth to three children of three different races.

Despite the lack of evidence traditionally associated with these stories, from 1690 to 1700, communications concerning teratology (the science that deals with fetal malformations) in the Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society London and the Mémoires of the French Académie, Paris, frequently debated the possibility of the power of the maternal imagination. Furthermore, after the publication in 1714 of De morbis cutaneis, by the English surgeon Daniel Turner, a dispute occurred, first in England and then on the Continent, about the influence of the maternal imagination on the creation of birthmarks and other forms of major or minor abnormalities. The repercussions of this ongoing debate lasted until the late eighteenth century: even after the English surgeon John Hunter had denied the reality of the power of the mother's imagination in a thoughtful empirical study, the French physician Louis Nicolas Benjamin Bablot wrote opposing treatises on the subject. The French surgeon Jean-Baptista Demangeon did likewise at the beginning of the nineteenth century. Even in the late nineteenth century numerous articles were published in the Journal of the American Medical Association which supported the theory. The scholars Gould and Pyle in their famous book Anomalies and Curiosities of the Medicine, published in 1896, also supported the belief. And even though most teratologists today would agree that major physical malformations do not result from maternal impressions, some behavioural scientists still consider that certain prenatal events, such as maternal stress, may have an effect on fetal development.

Javier Moscoso


See also congenital abnormalities.
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COLIN BLAKEMORE and SHELIA JENNETT. "birthmark." The Oxford Companion to the Body. Oxford University Press. 2001. Encyclopedia.com. 19 Dec. 2009 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

COLIN BLAKEMORE and SHELIA JENNETT. "birthmark." The Oxford Companion to the Body. Oxford University Press. 2001. Encyclopedia.com. (December 19, 2009). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O128-birthmark.html

COLIN BLAKEMORE and SHELIA JENNETT. "birthmark." The Oxford Companion to the Body. Oxford University Press. 2001. Retrieved December 19, 2009 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O128-birthmark.html

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Free newspaper and magazine articles

Free Article Birthmarks: lifelong companions. (includes related article on moles)
Magazine article from: Current Health 2, a Weekly Reader publication; 4/1/1992
Free Article Vascular Birthmarks Foundation and Beckman Laser Institute Present Landmark Conference.(Conference notes)
Business Wire; 10/30/2009
Free Article Doctor leaving mark in specialty; Honoree deals with birthmarks.(NEWS)
Newspaper article from: Telegram & Gazette (Worcester, MA); 1/14/2007

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Related articles from newspapers, magazines, and more

Birthmarks: lifelong companions. (includes related article on moles)
Magazine article from: Current Health 2, a Weekly Reader publication; 4/1/1992; 700+ words ; ...real life. Most birthmarks are harmless...Birth of a Mark A birthmark -- also called...hemangiomas -- and other birthmarks -- are harmless, experts say any birthmark should be examined...That's why birthmarks should be checked...common pigmented birthmark is the mole. Everyone...
Vascular Birthmarks Foundation and Beckman Laser Institute Present Landmark Conference.(Conference notes)
Newspaper article from: Blood Weekly; 11/19/2009; 700+ words ; ...treatments for vascular birthmarks and related syndromes...conducted by four different birthmark teams. Dr. Rozell...Year. About Vascular Birthmarks Foundation (www.birthmark.org) Vascular Birthmarks Foundation (VBF) is...
A birthmark nearly killed my little girl; It started off as a tiny birthmark.. then it spread. Soon only new laser surgery could save baby Elle from the deadly blemish.(M Health)
Newspaper article from: The Mirror (London, England); 3/13/2003; 700+ words ; ...treatment to remove the birthmark and save her arm...therapy to heal birthmarks. Elle's was...so ulcerated. "Birthmarks such as these can...is born with a birthmark but most disappear...treatment heals the birthmark quicker than any...excellent prognosis. "Birthmarks are not always...
Vascular Birthmarks Foundation Honors Roy G. Geronemus as Physician of the Year.
Newspaper article from: Pediatrics Week; 2/7/2009; 700+ words ; ...to the public.o About Vascular Birthmarks Foundation (VBF): The Vascular Birthmarks Foundation (www.birthmark.org) is the leading not for profit...families afflicted with vascular birthmarks, tumors or syndromes. It is an...
Doctor leaving mark in specialty; Honoree deals with birthmarks.(NEWS)
Newspaper article from: Telegram & Gazette (Worcester, MA); 1/14/2007; 700+ words ; ...children who have these birthmarks, they're the ones...site, the Vascular Birthmark Foundation is the leading...affected by vascular birthmarks. There are two categories...a congenital facial birthmark and neurological abnormalities...at the MGH Vascular Birthmarks Clinic under director...
Why do we have birthmarks?(Ask Dr. Cory)
Magazine article from: Jack & Jill; 7/1/1995; ; 651 words ; ...people have these types of birthmarks. But those who do should have the birthmarks checked by a skin doctor. Although uncommon, these birthmarks are more likely than smaller...skin cancer. One type of birthmark, called a port-wine birthmark...
Flashlamp-pumped pulsed dye laser treatment of vascular birthmarks.(includes multiple-choice examination for independent study contact hours)
Magazine article from: AORN Journal; 6/1/1998; ; 700+ words ; ...classification of the birthmark is essential not only...nomenclature for vascular birthmarks was quite confusing...the various vascular birthmarks have vast differences...classify a vascular birthmark, how can he or she...management of such vascular birthmarks--patients who have...
Vascular Birthmarks. (Shorts).(Brief Article)
Magazine article from: Townsend Letter for Doctors and Patients; 2/1/2002; ; 700+ words ; ...About 10% of these birthmarks, some of which obstruct...ignorant. One type of birthmark that requires medical...information about vascular birthmarks and treatment options, contact Vascular Birthmarks Foundation, www.birthmark.org or 518-782...
`WALK PROUD' PEOPLE WITH BIRTHMARKS FACING HEARTBREAK AND HOPE
Newspaper article from: Beacon News, The (Aurora, IL); 3/10/1999; 700+ words ; ...thick bluish-red birthmark that circles the eye...chose to gape. Most birthmarks are innocuous; an...seen a child with a birthmark like this. "Kids...most obvious kind of birthmark. But there are others...Doctors say most birthmarks are harmless. But...
`WALK PROUD' LIKE THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE WITH BIRTHMARKS, ANNA BRAUN HAS FACED HEARTBREAK AND HOPE
Newspaper article from: Herald-News (Joliet, IL); 3/10/1999; 700+ words ; ...thick bluish-red birthmark that circles the eye...chose to gape. Most birthmarks are innocuous; an...seen a child with a birthmark like this. "Kids...most obvious kind of birthmark. But there are others...Doctors say most birthmarks are harmless. But...
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birthmark. (Image by Flickr user jessicafm, CC)

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