The true tale of Edward Mordake (Mordrake) has been lost to history. His unusual case occurred early in medical history and is referenced only in tales handed down. Indeed, the tale of his life has become so muddled through the passage of time that no solid date of birth or death is evident to modern [...]
Myrtle Corbin, was known as the Four-Legged Woman – however that moniker was slightly misleading. While at a glance one could plainly see four legs dangling beyond the hem of her dress – only one pair belonged to her, the other set to her dipygus twin sister.
Born in Lincoln County, TN in 1868 and spending [...]
Perumal was born in Madras, India in 1888 and his images are often mistaken for fellow multi-limbed Indian Laloo. Perumal began his exhibition career at a very young age and often appeared in photographs with an companion Indian dwarf named Soopromanien, who was sometime mistakenly called Sami. Sami was Perumal’s family name.
He toured primarily in [...]
On July 7th, 1931 in Winnipeg, Manitoba Ernie Defort was born with a parasitic twin attached at to his sternum.
Ernie’s brother consisted of a headless rudimentary body with two arms and two legs. As such, Erie was billed as being ‘Two Boys with One Head’. Ernie’s twin was even given a name, and together they [...]
Lentini was born in 1889 in Rosolini in the province of Sirocusa, Sicily as one of twelve children. Technically, he was one of 12 and a half children. His twin brother, who consisted of a leg and a set of genitals, was born attached to Francesco’s spine. While he was billed as ‘The Man With [...]
George Lippert was born in Germany in 1844. In addition to being born with three legs, he was also born with two functioning hearts although that condition was unknown until is autopsy in 1906.
His third leg was fully formed and even possessed an extra toe, giving Lippert a total of sixteen. The leg was not [...]
Laloo was born in Oudh, India as the second of four siblings in 1874. He was accompanied into this world by his parasitic twin brother who was little more than a headless mass of limbs attached to his breastbone.
Laloo’s brother consisted of two arms and two legs, a functioning penis with a complete urinary system [...]
At the 1934 World’s Fair, Robert Ripley – of the famed Ripley’s ‘Believe It Or Not’ empire – unveiled to the public his very first Odditorium. Previously, Ripley was known for his “Believe It Or Not” comic strip in newspapers. However, his World’s Fair Odditorium featured real anatomical curiosities and the most spectacular of [...]
In 1790 the astute surgeon Everard Home wrote of ‘a species of lusus naturae so unaccountable, that, I believe, no similar instance is to be found upon record’. He was writing of the Boy of Bengal after observing drawings and collecting and reviewing the accounts of several of his peers. While the boy was remarkable [...]
J. Tithonus Pednaud herein presents for your edification and enlightenment a curious collection of human marvels. These portent and exceptionally unique human beings stand as uplifting testaments to human spirit and serve as inspiring examples of human tenacity.
