There have been very few recorded cases of babies born with one eye, an extremely rare
genetic defect known as “cyclopia”. Typically, babies born with this disorder have one eye
in the centre of the forehead, no nose and a brain that fuses into a single hemisphere
as opposed to dividing. In 2006, a baby girl in India was born with cyclopia, however,
died just a few days later but not before some worshipped her, believing that she was
a physical manifestation of a God. It was believed that the defect was caused by an
anti-cancer drug while the mother was pregnant or from a chromosomal disorder. More recently,
in 2015 a baby boy in Egypt was born with cyclopia but this time due to the mother being
exposed to radiation during pregnancy. No humans have survived with cyclopia for more
than a few days following birth.
“Werewolf syndrome” or the general term, “Hypertrichosis”, is when there is an
abnormal amount of hair growth over the body, believed to be caused by a spontaneous genetic
mutation. Extreme cases of hypertrichosis can leave sufferers with an appearance similar
to that of a werewolf. In fact, back in the 19th and early 20th centuries, sufferers of
extreme hypertrichosis, such as Julia Pastrana or “Bear Woman” and “Jo-Jo the “Dog-faced
boy”” were exploited in sideshow freak acts. Still to this day, there is no known
cure for the condition and the only feasible treatment is to shave or wax the hairs, like
one would do anyway to get rid of unwanted hair. Not even laser hair removal is viable
as this runs the risk of causing scarring, dermatitis or hypersensitivity.
OK, I know what you may be thinking but it is not what you think it is. It is actually
a tail, oddly enough. Animals have tails which serve different purposes, for example, for
communication in dogs and for balance in kangaroos but in humans, the coccyx or tailbone is a
vestigial structure meaning it has no use. But in some rare cases it is possible for
the coccyx of a human to grow and this is evident in the case of an Indian tea estate
worker by the name of Chandre Oraon. He is famous for having a 13-inch tail and this
has made him an object of devotion to many who believe he is an incarnation of the Hindu
God, Hanuman. In fact, thousands of people would travel great lengths just to see Oraon
and would touch his tail to cure themselves of severe ailments. It is believed that Oraon’s
tail is a result of a congenital malformation, known as spinal bifida, an incomplete closing
of the backbone. Oraon has refused surgery to remove his tail and according to his family,
it has become a part of him that he cannot live without. Oraon isn’t the only alleged
incarnation of Hanuman as a boy by the name of Arshid Ali Khan, also from India, was born
with a 7-inch tail and was worshipped because of it. However, he later made the decision
to get his tail removed.
In 2006, a frog-like baby was born in Nepal without a fully developed brain or skull,
no neck and abnormally large eyes that were literally popping out of the eye-sockets.
That very baby suffered from a rare condition known as “anencephaly” which occurs when
the neural tube, a layer of cells that develops into the brain and spinal cord, fails to close
during the first few weeks of embryonic development. This leaves the baby blind, deaf, unaware
of its surroundings and unable to feel pain. Sadly, with such defects means imminent death
within a few hours after birth, which was the unfortunate case for the Nepalese baby
in 2006.
Epidermodysplasia verruciformis or quite simply, “tree man illness” is an extremely rare
recessive hereditary skin disorder characterised by the growth of scaly macules, papules and
warts on the skin that resemble tree bark. It is caused by a genetic mutation on chromosome
17 which increases susceptibility to human papillomaviruses of the skin. Still to this
day there is no cure for the condition and sufferers have a hard time of living being
unable to do everyday things. Even walking can be a challenge as the branch-like warts
can weigh as much as 13 pounds, which was the case Dede Koswara, an Indonesian man who
suffered from this very condition. His story was made into several documentaries including
TLC’s “My Shocking Story” series in the episode “Half Man Half Tree”. Koswara
lost his family, job and independence because of the illness but despite this, he was still
hopeful for a cure. Sadly, Koswara died at the age of 42 from complications related
to his condition.