„O NEZDÁRNÉM PORODU DVOU DĚVČÁTEK...“. NEŠŤASTNÝ PÔROD SIAMSKÝCH DVOJČIAT OČAMI HUMANISTU JURAJA TESÁKA MOŠOVSKÉHO

Juraj Tesák Mošovský (1547 – 1617) was one of the most prolific humanist writers from the territory of present-day Slovakia – although he lived and worked in Bohemia and Moravia. He was a writer, playwright, poet, and Utraquist priest and church dignitary. His best-known play is Komedie z knihy Zákona božího, jenž slove Ruth (A comedy from the book of Divine Law, known as Ruth, 1604). In addition to occasional Latin poetry, he published over forty religious and moralistic works in both Czech and Latin, including the sermon Pravdivé vypsání. O nezdárném porodu dvou děvčátek… (A true account: On the unfortunate birth of two girls..., 1608), which examines (within the framework of contemporary knowledge) abnormal births and neonatal anomalies. The impetus for writing this sermon was the birth of conjoined twins. In it, Mošovský cites numerous historical accounts of Siamese twins and other congenital deformities, grounding his interpretation in the Bible, as well as medieval and early modern literature. His commentary is shaped by a Christian worldview, explaining such cases as manifestations of divine will, divine punishment, or warnings of impending misfortunes. The aim of this study is to introduce this work, which has so far received little attention from literary historians.