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In the present paper we focus on the comparison between medical language present in the narrative of some Italian writers: Antonio Tabucchi, Umberto Eco, Oriana Fallaci, Elena Ferrante, Dino Buzzati and fragments of medical reports that deal with the respective medical problems observed in the analysed novels/short stories: Il tempo invecchia in fretta, La misteriosa fiamma della regina Loana, Il cappello pieno di ciliege, La storia del nuovo cognome, Sette piani. With the comparative analysis of stylistically distant passages, we intend to indicate common points in the use of the Italian medical language both in the scientific and literary fields, as well as identify divergent linguistic aspects in the representations of this reality. We also intend to demonstrate the need to understand various narrative modes at different levels of specialized language. Despite different narrative modes, the essence of the phenomenon itself is not lost. There is also a common space in which meet various representations of the subjective truth that exists regardless of the language.

Reports of women giving birth to a baby together with an animal (toad, mouse, bird, etc.), are documented in Europe from the 1100s onwards: the most important traditions of which are the frater Salernitanorum and the sooterkin. Throughout the centuries, authors have typically attempted to explain monstrous animal siblings in the light of contemporary medical knowledge. The present paper compares the medieval frater Salernitanorum with the later sooterkin and investigates both in historico-folklore terms. It argues that it is important to understand monstrous birth traditions not only in the light of medical history, but as beliefs and narratives actively shared through acts of communication. In so doing, this article is informed by both the history of medicine and folklore studies.