 Under St. André 's strict control Toft was studied by a number of eminent physicians and surgeons , including John Maubray . In The Female Physician Maubray had proposed women could give birth to a creature he named a Sooterkin . He was a proponent of maternal impression , a widely held belief that conception and pregnancy could be influenced by what the mother dreamt , or saw , and warned pregnant women that over @-@ familiarity with household pets could cause their children to resemble those pets . He was reportedly happy to attend Toft , pleased that her case appeared to vindicate his theories , but man @-@ midwife James Douglas , like Manningham , presumed that the affair was a hoax and despite St. André 's repeated invitations , kept his distance . Douglas was one of the country 's most respected anatomists and a well @-@ known man @-@ midwife , whereas St. André was often considered to be a member of the court only because of his ability to speak the king 's native German . St. André therefore desperately wanted the two to attend Toft ; after George I 's accession to the throne the Whigs had become the dominant political faction , and Manningham and Douglas ' Whig affiliations and medical knowledge might have elevated his status as both doctor and philosopher . Douglas thought that a woman giving birth to rabbits was as likely as a rabbit giving birth to a human child , but despite his scepticism he went to see her . When Manningham informed him of the suspected hog 's bladder , and after he examined Toft , he refused to engage St. André on the matter : 
