Hypertrichosis is a rare genetic condition that results in extreme hairiness. It is sometimes referred to as "werewolf syndrome". Only about 50 cases
in history have been documented.
There is some speculation that Esau,
son of Isaac and twin brother of Jacob, may have had hypertrichosis. He
was described in the Old Testament as born covered in red hair, and was
referred to as a hairy man by his brother as an adult.
So, if you think you're hairy or if you think you know someone who's hairy, then think again. These incredibly hairy people will sure leave you with a jaw drop.
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1. Ramos Gomez brothers
Life for hairy brothers Victor "Larry" and Gabriel "Danny" Ramos Gomez
is anything but dull. They fly through the air regularly in their jobs
as trampoline acrobats. The duo had a chance to become TV stars when
they were offered starring roles in The X-Files.
2. Yu Zhenhuan
Yu was born in the city of Anshan in
the Chinese province of Anshan in 1979 and began growing hair at the age
of two that eventually covered approximately 96% of his body. As well
as being incredibly hairy, The Hairy Chinese Kid is also an aspiring
rock star and has used his unusual looks to launch something of a music
career. He is an adult now.
3. Pruthviraj Patil
Pruthviraj Patil was born to a well off farmer in the Indian district of
Sangali which is near Mumbai, with the "Werewolf Syndrome" due to which
he has all his face and body covered in thick matted hair. He and his
parents have tried various traditional Ayurvedic remedies, laser
surgeries and homeopathy, to cure the disease but none of them have
worked.
4. Supatra Sasuphan
Supatra Sasuphan, an 13-year-old girl from Thailand, suffers from
werewolf syndrome, which could offer a future cure for baldness.
She
has been teased her entire life by other kids, who call her "monkey
face" and "wolf girl". But now her Guinness world record has made her
very popular at school. She said: "I'm very happy to be in the Guinness
World Records. A lot of people have to do a lot to get in. All I did was
answer a few questions and then they gave it to me." Supatra is one of
only 50 sufferers of Ambras Syndrome documented since the Middle Ages.
It is caused by a faulty chromosome.
5. Julia Pastrana
Julia Pastrana
was born in Mexico in 1834 with hypertrichosis terminalis, meaning her
entire body was covered with hair several inches long. She also had a
deformed mouth with huge teeth, leading one doctor of the day to declare
that she was "˜a hybrid between human and orangutan'. Pastrana was only
four and a half feet tall but had a womanly figure.
She began a career
in freak shows at age 20, and was "managed" by several other handlers
before she met exhibitor Theodor Lent, who eventually married her. At
venues all over Europe, she was billed as part human, part animal but
charmed audiences with her intelligence and grace. Pastrana spoke three
languages and sang and danced on stage.
At age 26, Pastrana gave birth
in Moscow to a son who was also covered with hair, and who died within
two days. Julia herself died five days later. Pastrana's body was traded
around for exhibit
6. Fedor Jeftichew
Fedor Jeftichew was born in St. Petersburg, Russia in 1868 to a father, Adrian Jeftichew
who also had hypertrichosis. The father and son appeared in sideshows
together until P.T. Barnum brought the younger Jeftichew to the US in
1894.
Although Fedor could speak three languages(English, German and Russian), he
played his part and barked for the audience. In his time, Jeftichew was
one of the highest-paid sideshow attractions in the world. He died in
Turkey in 1904.
7. Stephan Bibrowski
Stephan Bibrowski (1891–1932), better known as Lionel the Lion-Faced
Man, was a famous sideshow performer. His whole body was covered with
long hair that gave him the appearance of a lion.
Bibrowski was
born in 1891 near Warsaw in Poland with one-inch hair covering his body.
His mother blamed the condition on the mauling of his father by a lion,
which she witnessed while pregnant with Stephan.
8. Percilla Lauther Bejano
Percilla Lauther Bejano
was born in 1911 in Puerto Rico, the only one of five children to be
born with excessive hair. Her mother consulted with doctors, but could
find no treatment for her.
Percilla fell in love with another sideshow exhibit named Emmitt Bejano,
who suffered from ichthyosis and was billed as the Alligator-Skinned
Man. The two married in 1938 and remained madly in love until Emmitt's
death in 1995. They were billed as "The World's Strangest Married
Couple" when they toured with Ringling Brothers.
Percilla and her parents traveled to New York City to be examined by a
team of doctors. She remained in New York for seven months before
returning to Puerto Rico. Percilla passed away in 2001 at age 89.
9. Jesús Aceves
Jesús "Chuy" Aceves was born in Loreto, Zacatecas, Mexico, and is the
second person in his family born with a rare condition known as
hypertrichosis.
Chuy's face is covered with hair, making him resemble
the legendary werewolf or, as some call him, a monkey man. Chuy is
married and has two daughters, one of whom has the condition.
In 2007,
Chuy was featured in the books Ripley's Believe It or Not! and Guinness
World Records.
10. Annie Jones
Annie Jones (c. 1860 – 1902) was an American bearded woman, born in
Virginia. She toured with showman P. T. Barnum as a circus attraction.
It is unconfirmed if this was a case of hirsutism or an unrelated
genetic condition that affects children of both sexes and continues into
adult years.
She became a musician and then married Richard Elliot in
1881, but divorced him in 1895 for her childhood sweetheart William
Donovan (who later died, leaving Jones a widow). In 1902, Jones herself
died of tuberculosis.
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