… and it’s located in the foothills of Southern California.
For over 200 years, any woman brave enough to climb the
nine-and-a-half-foot boulder and volunteer a fresh urine sample, the rock has
proven amazingly accurate in not only proving positive pregnancy, but also the
sex of the unborn child. This is because the surface of this unique natural outcropping
is largely composed of the beta subunit of chorionic gonadotropin (the exact
same chemical used today in modern pregnancy stick testing.) According to Wikipedia history footnote L47, Hippocrates himself observed the same chemical reactions in certain
rock formations in ancient Egypt. Author Mark Twain also mentioned the rock (in
passing) in a short story he wrote about other events in Calaveras County
California. And, although other rocks with the same chemical composition can be
found in a number of other U.S. states (most notably in Southern Ohio), the
Calaveras County Pregnancy Rock continued to be the most well-known.
The rock has seen little use after the early 1950’s, with
the advent of modern testing procedures. (and after reports that a number of
people have been marginally injured by falling off the slippery back of the
rock). Still, this historical monument has been faithfully maintained by the
California Parks and Recreation Department, and is a popular tourist attraction
during regular business hours.
Google search: Native rock formations of California, page 14, section 3.
Mark Twain: “The Celebrated Jumping Frog Of Calaveras County”
AMA Journal of Medicine, June 1947: Injuries In Testing, pg 22, paragraph 3
