Niddah 25: Miscarriage in the Shape of a Sandal Fish

We have been learning about differently shaped miscarriages.  Today the rabbis suggest that if a miscarriage or an afterbirth is shaped like a sandal, it is not considered to have been a viable offspring and thus it does not render the woman ritually impure.  

The rabbis discuss what a sandal is.  Although there is one opinion that the sandal is the sandal that fits on one's foot, most rabbis agree that the sandal is referring to a sandal fish, which is flat with eyes on the sides of its head.  The rabbis go into great detail describing the look of a sandal fish.  One of the descriptions is that of a bull's tongue, which would stand whether the rabbis refer to a sandal or a sandal fish.  

These discussions are extremely coarse and without any emotion.  They are theoretical, legal arguments without regard for the woman whose lost fetus is being examined.  These arguments remind me of conversations in Massechets Kiddushin and Ketubot which were similarly focused on women's bodies and yet detached from women's lives.