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Were rabbits ever used to conduct pregnancy tests? I just finished reading a memoir set in 1960s San Francisco, and the author claimed her doctor gav

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her a "rabbit" test to determine if she was pregnant.

Answered By: Marlene Giguere
Last Updated: Feb 05, 2017     Views: 44

Yes.  This test is also referred to as Friedman's test after Maurice Friedman who developed it.  A sample of a woman's urine was injected into a female rabbit (known not to be pregnant) and a test conducted on the rabbit's ovaries several days later would indicate whether the woman was pregnant.

This information was retrieved from Mosby's Dictionary of Medicine, Nursing and Health Professions located in Credo Reference, a database that can be found on many Brenau LibGuide pages.  Please see http://libguides.brenau.edu for further information.  

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