My Views On Hypertrichosis

I believe that mistreating anyone who’s different is terrible. People can’t help whether or not they’re different. People can’t all be exactly alike, and if we were, then the world would be a very dull place. People should never be mistreated due to their race, religion, weight, gender, or appearance. That’s why I believe that treating people with odd medical conditions such as Hypertrichosis is just as bad as being racist, sexist, and/or prejudice. It’s terrible that people with this condition were locked in cages, treated like animals, and used as public entertainment.

                Just because these people are different from you and me, it doesn’t mean that they deserve to be mocked and laughed at. It’s a tragedy when girls suffering from this condition may never get married, or if a little girl can only be respected after becoming famous, or if siblings admit that they spent most of their childhood locked in a cage. Hypertrichosis doesn’t make these people monsters, let alone werewolves; it just makes them special and unique. That is my view on the repression and cruelty that has been exhibited towards sufferers from Hypertrichosis.

Sideshows

Sometimes sufferers from Hypertrichosis are exhibited as circus freaks and the subjects of mockery and entertainment. Here are just a few earlier sideshow examples:

Jo-Jo, the Dog-Faced Boy

I mentioned Jo-Jo The Dog-Faced Boy earlier in my blog as well. This young sufferer from Hypertrichosis is one of the most famous examples. His birthname was Fedor Jeftichew, and he was born in St. Petersburg. As a child, Jo-Jo stayed with his father until his father's death. Barnum; a ringmaster who took Jo-Jo in after his father's death described Jo-Jo's father as savage and uncivilized. During Barnum's show, Jo-Jo was forced to growl and act like a dog and he was often scorned or mocked during his performance.

Krao, the Darwin's Missing Link (1876-1926)

A fellow sufferer from hypertrichosis, Krao was first exhibited in 1880 at the age of six. Just as Darwin’s Origin of Species theory was a hot topic, and Barney; the ringmaster used Krao to prove Darwin's theories. Krao was a very intelligent and well-read child who toured with Ringling Brothers, Barnum and Bailey. She later died in 1926 at the age of forty-nine.

The lives for these two sufferers from Hypertrichosis were anything but ordinary. People like this don't deserve to spend their lives as sideshow performers. They also don't deserve to be displayed like zoo animals and taunted for their appearence.

Trials

Hypertrichosis may have been the culprit for medieval mistreatment to history’s so-called “werewolves.” So, what actually is a werewolf or lycanthropy? Is it a fact based on concrete evidences? Is it a myth, fabrication of feeble minds? Is it an exaggeration of some other things? Such as a person suffering from Hypertrichosis?

During the medieval werewolf trials, several people were accused of being werewolves due to their wolf-like resemblance. Many of these accused “werewolves” were described as having matted hair covering their bodies and faces and short stocky physiques. These people were often put on trial and killed. Their punishments were similar to those of the Salem witch trials (burning at the stake, hanging, stoning, etc.).

Perhaps some of the accused were actually suffering from Hypertrichosis. If so, then that would mean that several people died as a result of man’s inability to deal with the strange or unknown? These people could’ve been the subjects of cruelty, misunderstanding, and superstition during the medieval period. http://science.howstuffworks.com/science-vs-myth/strange-creatures/werewolf5.htm

A 'Werewolf' Family's New Hope

Werewolf’ family to be treated in Nepal

March 26, 2012 |

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KATHMANDU (AFP) - A family suffering from a rare genetic condition in which hair grows all over the face arrived in the Nepalese capital of Kathmandu on Sunday for treatment of their “werewolf-like” appearance.
Devi Budhathoki, 37, her daughters, aged 13 and five, and 12-year-old son say they have endured constant humiliation because of hypertrichosis, which causes hair to sprout between their eyes and across their brows.
“My children have talked about a new life ever since we received word that the hospital was going to treat us,” said Budhathoki, a farmer from the remote northwestern village of Khare, near the border with the Tibetan border.
Sufferers from hypertrichosis, also known as “werewolf syndrome”, have in previous centuries been used as freakshow performers at circuses. “My son is fed up with the mockery he is subjected to and he has told his friends that he will be back with a new face so they can no longer tease him. More than myself, I’m worried about my children,” Budhathoki told AFP.
This family's mistreatment is just another example of how cruel and upsetting sufferers from Hypertrichosis lives can be. Treatment for their condition will hopefully ease their torment.

What do you do when children are locked in cages?

Twenty-two year old Danny; a man who also suffered from hypotrichosis and his brother Larry spent most of his childhood in a traveling freak show. He even said that it was like he and his brother were animals. Chuy even says that he and his brother were shown off to the audience while in a cage. This is the perfect example of discrimination and cruelty. Just because people are different, it doesn’t mean that they’re not human beings. Children don’t deserve to be locked in cages and shown off to the world like zoo animals. Though Danny says that he doesn’t remember much of his childhood, it’s still wrong. http://www.metacafe.com/watch/200401/real_life_wolfman/

The 'Werewolf' Family's Outcry

 Families who suffer from this often beg for treatment of their condition. Families such as Devi Budhathoki's; a thirty-seven year old Nepal man whose family has been the subject of ridicule for years. He and his daughters and twelve-year-old son also have a mild form of hypertrichosis.
Budhathoki went on to say that, “My children have talked about a new life ever since we received word that the hospital was going to treat us,”.

Sufferers from hypertrichosis, also known as “werewolf syndrome”, have in previous centuries been used as freakshow performers at circuses. I find this to be very wrong and very, very cruel. People don't deserve to be locked in cages or mocked for their appearence.

 “My son is fed up with the mockery he is subjected to and he has told his friends that he will be back with a new face so they can no longer tease him. More than myself, I’m worried about my children,” Budhathoki goes on to say.
http://www.nation.com.pk/pakistan-news-newspaper-daily-english-online/entertainment/26-Mar-2012/-werewolf-family-to-be-treated-in-nepal

The Wolf Girls

Hypertrichosis can be very cruel when its genes are passed down. Three sisters, Savita, 23, Monisha, 18, and 16-year-old Savitri Sangli, inherited the disorder from their father.

The sisters must use special creams every day or risk rapid hair regrowth. Despite the negative effects of the condition, these three girls still dream of  getting married. Unfortunately, in their small Indian village of Sangli, unmarried women have few prospects.

“Marriage is not an option for us, it’s not likely to happen, who is going to marry us when hair keeps growing on our faces" quotes one of the sisters.

Life would be difficult anywhere for the three girls, but India in particular, is sensitive to rare and unique health conditions; laws against discrimination are not enforced here. This means that the oldest sister, Savitri, is never able to withold a job for more than fifteen days. When her hair starts growing, her employers fire her.

The girls' mother, Anita says her three daughters are desperate to find a way to fund laser hair removal surgery to remove the hair. She estimates that the surgery will cost £4000 which is approximately $7,000 US dollars per daughter.http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RvBTjpRLkXA&feature=related

Repression and Cruelty to the "Wolf People"

The Aceves family aren't the only ones who have been mistreated due to their appearences. Supatra, or “Nat”; a Thai girl with hypertrichosis was taunted by peers at her Bangkok school and called names such as "wolf girl" and "monkey face." She was then crowned the “World’s Hairiest Girl” by the Guinness World Record Committee. Now Nat is no longer treated as an outcast and has gradually became popular and outgoing.
"There were a few people who used to tease me and call me 'monkey face' but they don't do it anymore," she said. "I am very happy to be in the Guinness World Records ... being hairy makes me special."

Marco Frigatti, from the Guinness World Record Committee, described Supatra as a "remarkable little girl".
"She's proud of who she is and wants to be treated just like everyone else," quoted Mr Frigatti. "She's not the one with the problem; it's only those who treat her differently who've got the problem."

Several rounds of laser treatments have been unsuccessful for Supatra, who hopes one day to be a teacher or doctor and help find a cure for the condition.
"It [the hair] does sometimes make it difficult to see when it gets long. I hope I will be cured one day," Supatra said.

Nat is a beautiful young girl who doesn't deserve to be mistreated for her appearence. It's sad when this young lady is only noticed after her newfound fame. She deserves to be treated like an ordinary person, just like any other sufferer from Hypertrichosis.

History of the "Werewolf Syndrome."

The first documented case of Hypertrichosis was found in a man named Petrus Gonzales, whose family portraits were discovered at Ambras Castle in Austria, from which the name “Ambras Syndrome” was coined.

The Wolf Boy, Living Werewolf or Dog-Faced Boy has been fixtures of the sideshow world for centuries. Jo-Jo, the Dog-Faced Boy is likely the most famous of the lot however cases of hypertrichosis have been reported and documented long before Jo-Jo.

There are more than twenty known cases of hypotrichosis that exist in the modern world. Many of these cases exist within the Aceves family; a Mexican family who traveled around as with the Mexican National Circus as the "Wolf People."  Jesus "Chuy" Aceves is part of this family. These family members have been mocked and scorned due to their appearence. It all started when Chuy's uncle Manuel was born in 1938. Chuy explains,"He was the first member of the family with the condition that we inherited through him".

Local prejudice forced the family to look elsewhere for work, but when a circus promoter offered to hire the, as performers, the Aceves family agrred. Members of the Aceves family were forced to shave their faces, otherwise people wouldn't hire them for ordinary jobs. But despite pressure to shave their thick, dark "fur", the Aceves family are proud of their condition. They even believe that it is a blessing from God. Sadly though, this family has faced verbal and physical abuse from people in both the USA and Mexico. http://www.mymultiplesclerosis.co.uk/misc/wolfman.html

Hypertrichosis "The Werewolf Syndrome"

Hypertrichosis is a condition in which hair sprouts all over the body. It is often better known as the “werewolf syndrome.” Werewolf syndrome has been classified into three types: congenital:  the hair that grows on the body is fine, soft and lacks pigment; this condition is life long. The second type is Naevoid:  This occurs when one spot or place on the body grows excessive, thick hair, while normal hair surrounds this area. And the third type is acquired:  acquired occurs on a person after birth while the other two generally are present prior to birth. Many people with this condition take up a life of showbiz for the public’s entertainment. They usually join the circus or carnival, or any other type of sideshow. The causes are unknown and there is no cure for the werewolf syndrome. It is often treated through cosmetic treatments such as cutting or shaving the hair, or removing it through chemical epilation, electrolysis, waxing, or laser hair removal. http://healthmad.com/conditions-and-diseases/werewolf-syndrome-a-bizarre-condition-where-thick-hair-grows-in-unfamiliar-areas.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JojLZ-OQJOs