How Did Frogs Become A Pregnancy Test For Humans?

People were finding out they were pregnant via frogs until the 1960s.

We all know that many of the tools in human life have been inspired by nature’s creations, but how often do you stop and really think about where these products come from? A new gallery at the Natural History Museum (NHM) in London is encouraging visitors to think more about their impact on the planet, as well as showcasing the inspiring work that demonstrates that however doom and gloom the news might be, hope is not lost.

Among its many intriguing displays, we stumbled upon something curious: a frog pregnancy test. We had questions and needed to know more about this item, and we were surprised to find these frogs had a lot to say about women’s access to healthcare in the not-so-distant past. Here’s what we learned from Dr Isabel Davis, Research Leader in Collections and Culture at the NHM.

This interview first appeared in Issue 36 of our digital magazine CURIOUS.