A fetus or newborn lacking a brain or having only a rudimentary brain, an invariably fatal birth defect.
From Greek 'an-' (without) + 'enkephalos' (brain). Medical term from the 19th century describing a severe neurological defect.
Anencephalus infants cannot survive long after birth because the brain controls everything—this tragic condition was one of the first recognized birth defects, leading to early prenatal screening technologies.
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