Everyone knows the canons and generally accepted indicators of ideal human appearance. At the same time, there have long been recognized norms among people, to which specific parts of the body must biometrically and visually correspond. People with proportions as close as possible to ideals are considered the most beautiful and attractive.
But there is also the other side of the coin - when people look so unusual, special, and sometimes downright scary, which causes a certain interest in society. This can be caused by artificial changes in appearance, which a person can consciously undertake for various reasons. Or perhaps - the natural development of human ugliness, occurring due to mutations.
Mutations as a natural process
Scientists have proven that mutations are generated by freely drifting genes and develop as a result of abnormalities in intrauterine development. In this case, mutation is considered to be part of evolutionary development, taking the form of a one-time, conditioned deviation.
Mutations can be pronounced, affecting the appearance, limbs and other parts of the human body. There are options when the level mental development in such cases it is not affected, and consciousness remains full. But it often happens that mutations affect not only the appearance of external signs of deformity, but also directly affect internal development. Such children exhibit dementia and lag significantly behind their peers in development.
Mutations can be either congenital or conditional. The main reasons for such interference of nature in the natural processes of fetal development can be considered:
- Congenital diseases transmitted by inheritance;
- Accepting the "wrong" medicines during pregnancy;
- Abuse of drugs, alcohol, tobacco products and chemicals by the expectant mother;
- When the body of the mother or the fetus itself was exposed to radioactive radiation.
In addition, there is a fairly high probability of the birth of an inferior, mutating organism in people who are closely related to each other. It has been proven that incest directly leads to the development of mutations in the body.
Is the desire to turn into a “freak” a perversion or self-expression?
And yet, despite any canons of beauty and attractiveness, some prefer to approach the issue from the other side. People who do not stand out for their beautiful facial or body features strive to become the first on the other side of the list - turning into real freaks and mutants.
There are many people in the world who have chosen to change their appearance to a frightening spectacle. For example, this is “Cat Man” Denis Anver, who, thanks to his unconventional appearance and the many manipulations performed on his face and body, was recognized as the most terrible person in the world. Among the actions that he performed on his poor body are surgical operations, various tattoos, piercings and much more.
No less famous throughout the world are “Lizard Man” Eric Spraga with his tattoos and forked tongue, or Brazilian resident Elaine Davidson, on whose face alone you can count about 3 kilograms of piercing jewelry.
It is worth noting that most people, even in everyday life they strive to stand out from the gray mass, either by decorating or disfiguring themselves. External and internal beauty depends only on ourselves, and everyone’s personal choice is to create an image that is close to a person and his inner world. But don't go overboard with in unusual ways“self-expression” so that, in pursuit of the attention of others, you don’t become this very freak with kilograms of metal mercilessly piercing your entire body. Or a bunch of meaningless tattoos that leave no living space on the skin.
Incredible facts
This list will tell you about ten unfortunate people suffering from severe deformities.
Some of them, with the help of modern medicine, were able to live more or less normal lives.
Some of the stories are tragic, others are hopeful. Here are ten shocking stories:
Human deformation
10. Rudy Santos
Octopus Man
Attached to Rudy's pelvis and abdomen another pair of arms and legs, belonged to his brother, whom Santos absorbed while in the womb. Also on his body there is extra pair nipples and an undeveloped head with ears and hair.
Rudy became a national celebrity during his freak show travels in the 1970s and 1980s. Then he earned about 20,000 pesos per day, being the main “attraction” of the show.
It was then that he received his stage name - "octopus". Rudy was likened to God, and women lined up just to stand next to him or take pictures with him.
Oddly enough, Rudy disappeared from screens in the late 1980s and eventually He has been living in poverty for over ten years now. In 2008, two doctors examined him to see if he could survive surgery to remove unnecessary body parts.
9. Manar Maged
Two-headed girl
Less than a year later, Manar herself died due to a brain infection, the development of which was provoked as a result of complications that arose after the operation.
Unusual people of the world
8. Minh Anh
Boy is a fish
Minh Anh is a Vietnamese orphan who was born with an unknown skin condition that causes his skin to peel off massively and form scales. His condition is expected to be was provoked by a special chemical(Agent Orange) which was used by the US military during the Vietnam War.
This condition is associated with constant overheating of the body, so it becomes extremely uncomfortable for a person to “wear” the skin without regular showering. The same orphans from orphanage They called him "fish".
In the past, Minh was abused by staff and other children living in orphanage. They tied him to the bed and did not allow the boy to go to the shower so that "remove" old skin.
When Minh was just a child, he met Brenda, a 79-year-old resident of the UK. Now she travels to Vietnam every year to see him. Over the years, the woman visited the boy and became his good friend.
Brenda helped improve the life of the boy in the orphanage in many ways. She convinced the staff not to restrain him when he had another seizure, and she also found him a friend to take the baby swimming every week, which is now Min's favorite pastime.
7. Joseph Merrick
Elephant Man
Probably the most famous person in this list is Joseph Merrick, the elephant man. Born in 1836, the Englishman became a London celebrity, and later gained fame all over the world.
He was born with Proteus syndrome, a condition that causes unusual tissue growth on the skin that causes the bones to become deformed and thicken.
Joseph's mother died when the boy was 11 years old, and his father abandoned him. So he left home as a teenager, then worked in Leicester and a little later became a showman. He was extremely popular and at the peak of his popularity he received his stage name: “the elephant man.”
Due to the size of his head, Joseph had to sleep sitting up. His head was so heavy that the man could not sleep lying down. One night in 1890, he tried to go to the kingdom of Morpheus "like everyone else normal people", And dislocated his neck in the process.
The next morning he was found dead.
The most unusual people
6. Didier Montalvo
Boy - turtle
Didier was born in Colombia rural areas with a congenital melanocytic virus, which causes the birthmark to grow throughout the body at an incredibly fast pace.
As a result of this disease, the birthmark became so huge that covered Didier's entire back. Didier's peers nicknamed him "the turtle boy" because his incredibly large "mole" was very similar to a turtle's shell.
Apparently Didier was conceived during an eclipse, because local residents considered it "the work of the devil." For this reason, he was not allowed to communicate with other children and was banned from attending the local school.
When British surgeon Neil Bulstrode learned of Didier's problem, he headed to Bogota, where operated on the child and completely removed the unfortunate “mole”.
When the operation was performed, the boy was barely six years old. It was real success, because specialists were able to remove the entire birthmark. After the operation, Didier was allowed to go to school and began to live a normal and happy life.
People with unusual appearance
5. Mandy Sellars
Mandy Sellars from Lancashire, UK, was diagnosed with the same diagnosis as Joseph Merick - Proteus syndrome. This resulted in Mandy's legs becoming incredibly huge, with a total weight of 95 kg and a diameter of 1 meter.
Her legs are so big that she orders herself specially equipped shoes that cost about $4,000. She also has a personalized car that she can drive without using her legs.
The tumor mass was completely removed after the first operation, the remaining three were aimed at facial reconstruction. The operations were successful, and a few weeks later, José was already on his way to Lisbon.
People with the most unusual disabilities
2. Dede Koswara
Man is a tree
Dede Koswara is an Indonesian man who has suffered from a fungal infection called epidermodysplasia verruciformis for most of his life. It causes the growth of large, tough fungal growths that look much like tree bark.
Over time, Dede became extremely uncomfortable using his limbs, they became so large and heavy. The fungus grows throughout the body, but manifests itself mainly on the arms and legs.
In 2008, Dede underwent a course of treatment in the United States, as a result of which 8 kg of warts were removed from his body. After this, skin grafts were done on the face and hands. Unfortunately, the operation failed to stop the growth of the fungus, so another surgical intervention was performed in 2011.
There is no cure for Dede's disease.
1. Alamjan Nematilaev
Fetal congestion is an extremely rare developmental anomaly that occurs once in 500,000 births. The reasons for this anomaly are unknown, but many scientists believe that it occurs in the early stages of pregnancy, when one embryo is literally “enveloped” by another.
In 2003, the school doctor noticed that the child's stomach was very swollen and sent him to the hospital. Doctors examined him and concluded that the patient had a cyst. The following week the boy was operated on and, to everyone's surprise, A child weighing two kilograms and 20 centimeters long was found in Alamyan’s stomach.
The doctor who performed the operation noted that the boy looked as if he was six months pregnant. The boy's parents believe that the development of such an anomaly was provoked as a result of radiation after the Chernobyl disaster, but experts rejected this idea.
Alamyan fully recovered from the operation, but to this day he does not know that his twin was growing inside him.
Many diseases occur in a person almost unnoticed by others, but there are those that lead to such changes in appearance that it is difficult not to notice. Congenital and acquired deformities still cause superstitious horror among people. Let's look at the most terrible anomalies of the human body.
Progeria
Progeria or Hutchinson-Gilford syndrome, or simply premature aging, is a congenital disease caused by a genetic mutation. As a result of this mutation, aging processes begin in the patient’s body almost from birth. Average duration The lifespan of progeria patients is only 13 years. Hutchinson-Gilford syndrome is quite rare and occurs once in eight million people. Currently, only 80 people are officially registered in the world as being affected by this disease.
Yuner Tan syndrome
This strange disease named after its discoverer. Those with this syndrome walk on all fours, speak poorly and are generally weak-minded. In 2006, an entire family was discovered in Turkey affected by this disease. Five of its members walked on all fours at once. The study showed that they all have the same genetic defect, leading to underdevelopment of the cerebellum.
Hypertrichosis
This disease manifests itself in hair growth where there is usually none or where there is much less hair. Hypertrichosis can be congenital or acquired. You can get hypertrichosis due to disruptions in the hormonal system, nervous disorders, infectious diseases and metabolic disorders. Most often, women suffer from this disease.
Epidermodysplasia verruciformis
The causative agent of the disease with such a complex name is the widespread human papillomavirus. But if ordinary people because of it warts grow, then in those with epidermodysplasia verruciformis, warts grow to monstrous sizes. Almost the entire body may be covered with ugly, wood-like growths. Surgical removal of growths and transplantation of new skin can only temporarily solve the problem.
Severe combined immunodeficiency
One child in a hundred thousand is born without a functioning immune system. This means that the body of such a child is completely defenseless against any infection. Of course, it is almost impossible to provide absolutely sterile conditions. Fortunately, modern medicine can quite successfully combat this disease. Transplantation of hematopoietic stem cells in the first three months of life helps here. There are successful results with intrauterine stem cell transplantation.
Lesch-Nychen syndrome
This is a congenital syndrome that causes the body to produce excess uric acid. This leads to the formation of kidney stones and gouty arthritis. The syndrome also includes mental disorders. Patients bite and gnaw their hands, forearms, lips and inner surface cheeks, causing unbearable pain to themselves. Lesch-Nychen syndrome occurs only in men.
Ectrodactyly
Due to a malfunction in the seventh chromosome, patients with ectrodactyly are missing one or even several fingers or toes. In addition to this, the patient is often deaf. Now the lack of fingers is treated with the help plastic surgery.
Proteus syndrome
The AKT1 gene is responsible for the proper growth of cells in the human body. A failure in it leads to the fact that some cells grow correctly, and others incorrectly. This causes disproportionate growth different parts bodies. Some of them may be normal size, while others may be abnormally swollen. Currently, there are 120 known patients with Proteus syndrome in the world.
Sirenomelia (mermaid syndrome)
In one case in a hundred thousand, babies are born with undivided legs. Often they lack external genitalia along with the excretory system. With this disease, newborns often die in the first two days after birth. Although there are cases where patients with sirenomelia lived for several years.
Polyodontia
The nature of this anomaly is still unclear. For some reason, a person grows extra teeth. They most often grow behind the upper teeth, but can also appear in the lower jaw.
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1. Hilton Sisters
Violet and Daisy Hilton
These sisters - Siamese twins. They had a common circulatory and nervous system. This meant that they experienced one pain between them. The sisters were sold into slavery by their midwife mother, who greedily took advantage of their misfortune. They sang, danced, played various instruments in the circus. Their slave owner took all their income and forbade them to communicate with anyone. In the end, one lawyer helped them escape the shackles, and even bought back all the money they earned. The sisters continued to work in show business and at the peak of their careers earned $5,000.
2. Wild men from Borneo
These " wild people"were actually doppelgängers, mentally retarded dwarfs who had no hope of employment other than to entertain circus audiences. At the age of 26, they were purchased from their birth mother by a man named Lyman Warner. They were taught acrobatics, dancing, with which they performed in front of the audience, enslaved by the Warner family, for fifty years they continued to bring prosperity to this family.
3. Woman doll
Lucia Zarate
Lucia was born in Mexico in 1864. She weighed 8 ounces and was 7 inches tall. She weighed less than a kitten. To this day she is the smallest woman on Earth. Arriving in the United States at the age of 12, she was the highest paid midget at the time ($20 per hour). Unfortunately, she died at the age of 26 on a train.
4. Texas Giant
Jack Earl
Al had a condition called acromegaly. Jack Earle performed in the circus with famous circus performers. He also starred in films such as Jack and the Bean Tree (guess who?). Despite the fact that it was difficult for freaks to find work, Earl showed everyone that you can use your extraordinary appearance in any profession. He was a salesman for a wine company and later became their PR representative. He also sculpted, painted, and wrote poetry (his book Long Shadows was published in 1950).
5. "The Hunchback"
Quasimodo - no fictional character. The eponymous Hunchback of Notre Dame in Victor Hugo's story actually lived in Notre Dame. One British researcher found fragments of a memoir that told of a “hunchbacked stone carver” who worked at Hugo Cathedral. It is not difficult to understand why he was given the nickname "Le Bossu" - the Hunchback.
6. The woman with the face of a mule
Grace McDaniels
This woman was born with a facial deformity that made many people uncomfortable looking at her. She was declared "the ugliest woman in the world." This is also a kind of achievement. Despite her appearance, she was very good person. Grace got married and had a child who did not inherit her facial features, but he became a drunkard and a social outcast.
7. Jo-Jo, the boy with the dog face
Fedor Evtishchev
The boy, like his father, suffered from a rare disease - hypertrichosis. His father lived alone in the forest, away from people, so as not to listen to their ridicule. To earn money, he performed in the circus. After Fedor was born, they began touring together. Soon his father died, and the boy performed for a long time in shows organized by the famous American entrepreneur F. T. Barnum. Like a trained dog, Fedor could bark and growl on command, but he was not a dog. He could speak English, Russian and German.
8. Julia Pastrana
This girl suffered from hypertrichosis - her face and body were covered with black, coarse hair. Outwardly, Julia resembled a gorilla. Her height was a little more than 137 cm. Despite her deformity, Pastrana danced well and was very kind and friendly. She had a husband, Theodore, who bought her and taught her everything she surprised people with in the circus. Soon, Julia gave birth to a child who lived only 3 days, and she herself died 5 days after this event. Theodore mummified the corpses of his wife and child, and later their bodies were displayed in various Panic Rooms.
9. Schlitzi
Simon Metz
Schlitzi was very popular in the circus. He was a microcephalic - a man with a small skull and a small brain. His child's head sat incongruously on the shoulders of an adult. His brain was about 3 years old, yet he sang and danced like a 10 year old. Already physically an adult, he starred in the film “Freaks” (1932), then “Island of Lost Souls” (1933). After his death, Schlitzi became a true legend.
10. Caterpillar Man
Prince Randian
Prince Randian was an amazing man - he wore sleeveless clothes and no socks. He had only a head and a torso and looked like he was paralyzed, although he could light a cigarette with just his mouth. He had a wife, with whose help he learned to move. Fame came to him in 1932, after cameo role in Todd Browning's "Freaks." Prince Randian lived to be 63 years old.
The modern world is frighteningly diverse. It contains manifestations of the beautiful and the ugly, the divine and the devil. Truly strange subcultures are born, whose adherents mutilate themselves beyond recognition in order to become... recognizable. Others become victims of image or genetic mutations. In today's selection the most scary people peace.
Donatella Versace - a victim of plastic surgery
The representative of the fashion house might not have been included in this list, since she was born as a cute Italian girl from Calabria. But now no one remembers her natural beauty because of dozens of plastic surgery, some of which turned out to be very unsuccessful. The sister of the late Gianni Versace is proof that too much plastic surgery can lead to deformity. The Italian doesn't just have big lips and nose. she is unnaturally thin, and the remnants of her skin hang treacherously. A sad sight.
Marilyn Manson is a freak by nature
The shock rocker from the USA holds the lead in the category " The most terrible person on the stage" Moreover, he wants to appear ugly. Rarely has an outsider seen a rock star without “fighting colors,” since the outrageous showman appears in public in frightening costumes and with a ton of makeup on his face.
They say about Manson: “If you don’t know this guy and, God forbid, you see him on the street at night, you will think that a fiend has broken through to Earth.”
Clint Howard is not Eastwood
The American actor completes the group of the most terrible people on the planet from show business. Clint Howard's success is proof that beauty doesn't matter in the Hollywood Hills as long as you have talent. The comedian has dozens of memorable roles to his credit, which brought him fame and millions of dollars. Scary Clint even won an MTV award. Not an Oscar, but not bad either.
The Leopard Man Tom Leppard
The next participant in the "Circus of Freaks" is Tom Leppard, who covered his entire body with spotted patterns imitating the skin of a leopard. A strange man moves gracefully on four “legs”, imitating a predator. Tom, like other most terrible people on the planet, became a celebrity. He can often be seen on television. Leopard Man Leads active life, participating in various show programs and photo shoots.
Reptile Man Eric Sprague
This member of the list of the most terrible people on the planet gravitates towards reptiles. Eric Sprague chose the image of a lizard for himself. His entire body is covered with tattoos that imitate scales, and false incisor teeth complement his ugly image. In addition, Eric had implants placed above his eyes to emphasize his resemblance to reptiles. As the freak himself admits, he has to stretch the halves of his cut tongue every day so that they do not grow together.
Bull Man Etienne Dumont
Etienne Dumont is no different from others strange people on this list. Etienne, having higher education, and working literary critic in Geneva, completely covered himself with tattoos. And he seems happy. Journalists compare his image to a bull. Only the ungulate has two powerful horns, Etienne has only one, and even then sharpened. It's funny to see the bull man reading new novel Haruki Murakami in a coffee shop in the center of Geneva, isn't it?
The most terrible people on earth are not only freaks, victims of plastic surgery and genes. It was not at all by choice that the following participants were included in our rating.
Jason Shechterly - fire victim
A former police officer from the United States received fourth-degree burns as a result of a traffic accident. Into the police car full speed ahead a taxi crashed. A fire broke out, but Jason was unable to get out on his own. At the hospital, doctors had to literally tear off the burnt skin from the policeman’s face. Despite significant changes in appearance, the officer's wife did not leave him. The support of his beautiful wife and family helped Jason climb out of the psychological hole and start new life.
Yu Junchan is the hairiest man in the world
Chinese Yu Junchan looks like the hero of “Planet of the Apes.” Being suffering from a rare genetic disease, the poor fellow resembles an animal. 96% of Junchan's body is covered in dense vegetation. After a terrible childhood, the Chinese decided to start a new life and loudly declared himself. Instantly he became famous for his extraordinary appearance. Now Yu Junchan is a local celebrity. He is invited to a talk show and interviewed. The guy says he is happy about his new life. The only thing is that he has not yet met a girl who will love him for who he is.
Tree Man Dede Kosvara
It's time to feel sorry for the Indonesian Dede Koswar. At the age of 10, the boy injured himself in the forest. From then on, his life became like bad dream. Probably, an unknown infection got into the wound, and ulcers began to appear around it. After that they struck the whole leg and even the arms. For several years, Dede watched himself turn into a monster.
Having become a tree, the guy lost the ability to walk. A mysterious infection deprived him of his marriage, his job, the happiness of fatherhood and independence. To support himself, he began traveling with a circus of freaks.
Indonesian doctors used a laser to remove the warts on Dede's body, but they soon reappeared. The young man lost faith in healing and became despondent.
As you can see, the most terrible people in the world have personal stories. Some people want to be like an animal, others dream of being no different from their peers. But each of them assures that visual appeal- this is a shell, but it is more important to recognize the inner beauty of a person.
As old Hugo said, no external charm is complete unless it is brought to life. inner beauty. It spreads over bodily beauty like light.