In Nathaniel Hawthorne's story, 'The Birthmark', Aylmer, a young scientist, is obsessed by a birthmark in the centre of his bride's left

cheek—a crimson mark resembling a tiny hand. One night Aylmer dreams that he and his servant Aminadab attempt to remove the birthmark: 'But the deeper went the knife, the deeper sank the Hand, until at length its tiny grasp appeared to have caught hold of Georgiana's heart; whence, however, her husband was inexorably resolved to cut or wrench it away'. When Aylmer tells Georgiana his dream, she urges him to remove the birthmark at whatever cost. After several experiments, Aylmer develops a liquid that, when swallowed by Georgiana, removes the birthmark but takes her life.