Fetus, embryo and infant in the formation accounts

foetum; embrionem; infans; infantem; infantis; foetus; embryo

The imagination paragraph speaks of fetus, embryo and child within the maternal body, emphasizing formation rather than offering a precise modern developmental classification.

From the book

Nine Books on the Nature of Things

Attributed to Paracelsus · Diotimos Editions · 2026

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Meaning

The imagination paragraph speaks of fetus, embryo and child within the maternal body, emphasizing formation rather than offering a precise modern developmental classification. The homunculus passage later calls its supposed mature result a true living infant, with the members of a child born from a woman but much smaller. These local descriptions matter more than imposing a fixed modern age boundary on each historical noun.

Places to read

  1. Book 1 · Generation · Passage 5Latin“imaginatio matris fortiter in embrionem dirigitur”