The Computer Vet Weblog

In honor of the “Tree Man” having surgery to remove some of his warts, ABC News has put up a photo gallery that they are generously calling “Medical Marvels”. What is really is is a “Believe It Or Not”-style cavalcade of birth defects and genetic disorders, provided more for spectacle than anything else. As such, I find it impossible to look away.

This slideshow has the whole gamut of human anomalies. Very tiny people. Very large people. People born with extra parts. People who are growing extra parts. And, most compellingly, the modern-day Elephant Man. You feel a little uneasy seeing these people paraded for the sake of “news”, but I suppose 100 years ago they’d be collected under a circus tent. Now they’re mostly shown getting medical treatment to relieve their discomfort, so I guess on the whole we’re seeing progress here.