Anencephaly--the way it was

circa 1978. A woman was discovered shortly before delivery to have an anencephalic fetus. She was told the grim news before delivery. The fetus was seemingly stillborn. The body was covered with a blanket. Later it was noted that there was a rise and fall of the blanket due to breathing. The newborn was whisked off to a secret closet somewhere. The mother was never told other than that her child was stillborn.

The following day, an attending gynecologist uninvolved in the delivery made rounds. He was curious regarding the delivery. When the delivery was outlined for him, he rather imperiously cast doubt on the account. He conceptualized anencephalic as acephalic.