The Baltimore County union. [volume] (Towsontown, Md.) 1865-1909, 1903-01-10
GREAT STATURE A DISEASE.


disease, or at least an abnormal con.
dition. Some recent authorities are
identifying it with acromegaly, or en-
largement of the extremities, defor-
nifty marked by huge jaws, hands,
and feet and often by bumped back.
1t has been shown that abnormal sta
ture is often followed by this condi-
ton which may be only later stage
of the same malady, says writer in
the ReVue Scientifque.
IAN interesting paper on giants
has just been read by M. Henry
Meige before the Congress of Alien
lists and Neurologists. The author
at the outset, recalls the fact than an
original genius once had a plan to
encourage marriage between individ-
uals of gigantic stature. Did he rea-
lize that he would thus be encourag-
ing the perpetration of a monstrosity
"The giant exempt from all physi-
cal defects, and superior at once in
height, strength, and vital resistance,
is an ideal being, a myth. In fact,
M. Meige shows that gigantism is
really monstrosity and a disease.
Observations of giants, collected by
scientific investigators, show the fire.
quency of physical and mental anon
allies among them; historic giants
were far from being superior in all
respects.
'We know nothing Of Goliath ex-
cept his stature, but giant mention
ed III two Kings had supernumerary
fingers. Now polydactylisn is one
of the most conspicuous stigmata of
degeneracy. Barcel Dounat saw at
Milan giant who slept in two beds
placed end to end, but this long man
could not stand upright. William
Evans, the gigantic porter of Charles
l., was without strength the porter
of Cromwell, also a giant, was con-
fined in a lunatic asylum. The Irish
man O'Brien was like a huge, sick
child that had grown too quickly.
These examples could be multiplied.
They show that degenerative symp-
toms of all sorts, accidents that really
deserve to be called pathalogic, are
the most frequent attendants of indi-
viduals of colossal stature.
"Of course there are exceptions /;
but the individual of very great sta
ture who is we'll constituted physical
ly and psychially is very rare. The
rule is precisely the reverse.
"Not taking bony reformation into
consideration, we can not but be
struck with the similarity of the gen
eral symptoms that have been noted
in giants and in persons suffering
from acromegaly; headache, pain in
the legs, sexual torpor, muscular
weakness, varicose veins, abundant
sweat, abnormal thirst, change of
sense-organs, a low physical and men
tai tone, etc. In all these particulars,
gigantism and acromegaly tend to
similarity.
"There are giants who never be-
come acromegalic; there are acrome-
gales who are of no great stature.
But in numerous cases giants become
acromegalic
"Messrs. Brissaud and Henry
Meige have already insisted on the
relationship of these abnormalities.
According to P. Marie, acromegaly
and gigantism are not identical path
ologic states, but acromegaly is one
of the factors of gigantism. Never
theless, Sternberg's statistics show
that half the giants are acromegalic.
"There are very serious reasons for
believing that gigantism and acromeg-
ally are only two successive stages of
the same development trouble.
M. Meige maintains that gigantism
shows itself in the period of growth
and acromegaly when this period is
ended. In numerous observations
the appearance of the first symptoms
of acromegaly was preceded by pc
riod of over rapid growth in stature,
sometimes gigantic. In other words,
a tendency to gigantism often pre-
cedes acromegaly. Besides, when
acromegaly has once established itself
it may be that no appearance of gi-
gantism remains the height has
been reduced by determinations of the
vertebral column.
"Another argument is that there
are great number of observed cases
of acromegaly when great height has
been shown to exist in ancestors or
relatives.
Finally cases have been reported
where acromegaly, as is often the
case with gigantism, is hereditary.
IN. Meige believes that all these
observations tend to show that all
giants are particularly apt to become
acromegalic. Although not fatal this
destiny nevertheless ought to be ta-
ken into consideration, for, not to
mention the general disorders of
which acromegalics are sometimes
victims, it is not desirable that we
should seek to propagate race with
deformed faces, huge jaws, great
fists and feet, and above all, bumped
backs. ."-Tanslation made TO, The
Literary Digest.
SOLVING 1T.