Myrtle Corbin (May 12, 1868 – May 6, 1928) was born with a severe congenital deformity that left her with four legs and the duplication of her sexual organs. Despite her very unusual deformity, she certainly lived her life to the fullest. At the young age of just 13, Corbin started her successful career in sideshows. She later went on to get married and have her own children.
For a similar story, read our post called Francesco Lentini: The Man With Three Legs.
Corbin’s Incredibly Rare Conditon
While some individuals are born with unique characteristics and others use body modification procedures to create themselves a unique persona, the man with two faces, Sam Alexander, was born an average man whose unique characteristics were the result of a personal disaster.
Sam Alexander – An Ordinary Man Becomes, Extraordinary
Alexander had aspirations of becoming an actor, so in his 20’s he began to pursue a career in show business. He was promoted to Chicago’s Shubert Theatre and his career path began to take shape. While the details are somewhat vague, Sam ultimately sustained injuries due to an explosion. It is said the explosion occurred due to his own carelessness. Instinctively, Sam saved his eyes by covering the upper portion of his face with his arm; however, his lower face bore the brunt of the blast. Unfortunately, Sam’s horror story continued: The burns around his lips and lower face became infected. The infection was so severe that doctors had no choice but to remove the majority of his lower face. The removal of his lips and skin left him with a gruesome appearance, which included a horrifying teeth-gnashing grimace.
This is an article on the extraordinary story of Mandy Sellars (born February 20, 1975). Sadly, a PIK3CA genetic mutation has caused massive overgrowth of her skin, bones, fat and tissue in the lower half of her body. Interestingly, this particular gene mutation is not just rare. Scientists say it is actually unique. Sellars is the only known person in the world living with the condition.
Does Sellars Have A Condition Similar To The “Elephant Man?”
Today, there are some online sources that say Sellars was diagnosed with a rare form of a congenital disorder called Proteus syndrome. This type of disorder is what clinical experts believe Joseph Merrick, the “Elephant Man” likely suffered with. The condition typically causes asymmetric tissue overgrowth. The syndrome is so rare, there are only 120 known cases worldwide.
Meet a limbless sideshow performer with unbelievable abilities. Prince Randian (October 12, 1874 – December 19, 1934) suffered from an extremely rare syndrome that left him with no arms or legs. However, despite his condition, Randian shocked spectators by showing off his amazing ability to write, paint, shave himself, and even roll and light a cigarette using nothing but his lips.
Randian’s Rare Condition
Tetra-amelia syndrome is characterized by the complete absence of all four limbs. Unfortunately, being limbless is only part of its clinical characteristics. The syndrome also has the potential to cause severe malformations of various parts of the body such as the heart, lungs, eyes, nervous system, and genitalia. Sadly, due to the many severe medical issues that come with having Tetra-amelia syndrome, the majority of infants are either stillborn, or will die shortly after birth.
Minnie Woolsey (born in 1880) was an American sideshow entertainer/film performer. In the 1932 film called Freaks, she was billed as Koo Koo, the Bird Girl. Woolsey suffered from an extremely rare birth defect syndrome, resulting in short stature and bird-like physical characteristics.
Woolsey’s Rare Disorder
Woolsey had a rare inherited disorder called Seckel syndrome (also known as bird-headed dwarfism, Bird-headed dwarf of Seckel, and Harper’s syndrome). The condition causes growth delays prior to birth which result in not only low birth weight, but also unusual physical features.