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Submitted: January 20, 2008
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foetus in foetuby ~incubo-amore

Traditional Art / Drawings / Macabre & Horror

I drew this in the Spaghetti Factory (a resteraunt speciallizing in... well... I think you can guess), on the back of the kiddie menu. =] However I became deeply attached to it. It inspires a nurturing side of me, simply looking at it. I feel maternal.

It is supposed to be a continuous chain of fetuses. If you look closely in the eye of the fetus that is inside of the first eye, you'll see a vaugly fetus shaped squigle. =]

Something about fetuses always makes me sentimental. They're so beautiful.

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FROM WIKIPEDIA:

Fetus in fetu (or fœtus in fœtu)
is a developmental abnormality containing entire organ systems, even major body parts such as torso or limbs. The abnormality occurs in 1 in 500,000 live births.

Is it alive?
A fetus in fetu is alive in the sense that any healthy organ is alive. Its cells are alive, and its organs have a working blood supply from the host. However, a fetus in fetus is not capable of life outside its host: As a rule, it has no (or no functional) brain, heart, lungs, gastrointestinal tract, or urinary tract. A fetus in fetu looks vaguely like a fetus, but is far from being one. That is why some experts think fetus in fetu is not a parasitic twin but rather a variant of fetiform teratoma.

Theories of development
There are two main theories about the development of fetus in fetu; one simple, the other complex.

Teratoma theory
Fetus in fetu may be a very highly differentiated form of dermoid cyst, itself a highly differentiated form of mature teratoma.[3]

Parasitic twin theory
Fetus in fetu may be a parasitic twin fetus growing within its host twin. Very early in a monozygotic twin pregnancy, in which both fetuses share a common placenta, one fetus wraps around and envelops the other. The enveloped twin becomes a parasite, in that its survival depends on the survival of its host twin, by drawing on the host twin's blood supply. The parasitic twin is anencephalic (without a brain) and lacks some internal organs, and as such is almost always unable to survive on its own.

Sometimes, however, the host twin survives and is delivered. The parasitic twin grows so large that it starts to harm the host, at which point doctors usually intervene. The condition causes the host to look pregnant, and can occur in both males and females.