More than seven billion people live on our planet. We all belong to the same biological species (Homo Sapiens), have a similar karyotype. But nature also fails. They manifest themselves in various genetic diseases, one of which is gigantism.
High Growth: Reasons
What is the cause of gigantism? Those who studied biology well at school will probably remember that in our body there is a gland (pituitary gland) that produces growth hormone - somatotropin. In patients with gigantism, there is an excessive secretion of this hormone, which leads to excessive growth of the limbs and trunk. Tall people usually suffer from other diseases caused by a disproportionate increase in body parts.
High Growth: Consequences
Giantness doesn't come alone… A tall person has a lot more problems than it might seem at first glance. First, the growth of some organs may outstrip the growth of others, which causes pain. Secondly, excessive growth leads to an increase in the load on the musculoskeletal system. Therefore, the tallest people on the planet use crutches - it is difficult for them to walk, as their joints (often knees) hurt, muscles are weakened. Also, patients with gigantism often complain of fatigue, a noticeable decrease indisability, headaches.
Treatment
Thanks to modern technology, gigantism can be stopped. Methods of its treatment are based on the use of hormonal drugs that inhibit the action of somatotropin, and x-ray therapy. Their combination gives positive results: in the modern world, there are much fewer patients with gigantism than, for example, in the twentieth century.
Names and surnames
Despite the fact that gigantism is a disease, such people willy-nilly become famous. At the moment, the nomination of the Guinness Book of Records "The tallest man in the world" belongs to Sultan Kosen. He received this title in 2009: then his height was 247 centimeters. He overtook his predecessor by as much as 11 centimeters (previously this page of the book was occupied by Bao Xishun with a height of 236 centimeters)! After repeated measurements in 2011, it turned out that Sultan Kosen continues to grow. So, his new record was 251 centimeters. He played basketball, but he had to give up the sport, as he began to have problems with his legs. He answers interviewers' questions that he sees quite a few pluses in his height. For example, the Sultan can easily change light bulbs in chandeliers or pick fruits from tall trees in the garden.
In fact, Sultan Kosen is not the tallest man on the planet. Leonid Stadnyuk, Ukrainian, has a height of 257 centimeters. Incredibly, he was the smallest in the class and sat at the first desk. Rapid growth began after the operation:doctors removed the tumor, but the pituitary gland was affected. Leonid graduated from high school and university, worked as a veterinarian. But he had to quit: he claims that the animals were frightened of his large growth. Like many tall people, Leonid Stadnyuk had difficulty finding shoes. Once, because of this, he even got frostbite on his feet. Leonid passed away in 2014.
The list of "giants" can include the Russian Nikolai Pankratov. His height is 235 centimeters, which gives him a lot of inconvenience. A large load on the knee joint can lead to complete immobilization.
Back to the 20th century
So, who are the tallest people in history? Undoubtedly, the first on this list will be Robert Wadlow. He was born in 1918 in America. According to written sources, his growth is an absolute record that no one else has achieved. Already at the age of four, Robert began to grow rapidly. At the age of eight, he was 188 cm tall, by the age of eighteen - 254 cm. Like other tall people, Wadlow suffered from leg diseases and needed crutches. Actually, it was they who led the young man to death. In 1940, he rubbed his leg with a crutch. An infection got into the wound, sepsis began. On July 15, Robert Wadlow died. At the time of his death, he weighed 199 kilograms and was 272 centimeters tall.
The next in the list of champions is the Chinese Zheng Zhinliang. Already at the age of four, she was the height of an adult - 153 centimeters! Due to the very rapid and disproportionate growth of various parts of her body, Zheng suffered from severe scoliosis and was unable to stand.straight. The girl died in 1982, at the age of seventeen, with a height of 248.3 centimeters.
Unusual couple
Anna Swan is one of the tallest women in history. According to unconfirmed reports, her height was 242 centimeters. Anna was born in 1846 and almost immediately began to grow rapidly. By the age of six, her height had reached 163 centimeters, and by the age of 18 - 225 centimeters!
It was difficult for her to settle down in life. Nobody wanted to hire her. In the end, she had to agree to participate in circus performances. The circus often burned down, and one day the girl almost died. After that, she left the show and went to travel around Europe in the hope of finding people like her.
She was lucky. She met Martin Bates, who was almost as tall. About a year later, they decided to get married. The young couple riveted the attention of all of Europe: even members of the royal families carefully watched their lives.
After some time, a child appears in their family! He was very large - weighed 9 kilograms with a height of 70 centimeters! Unfortunately, he died shortly after birth. But a few years later, Anna became pregnant again. The child was so big that he could not get out on his own, and since there were no modern technologies then, he had to be pulled out with forceps. Of course, the child died from such treatment. He was 85 cm tall and weighed 12 kg!
The heroine herself died in 1888
Two opposites
The shortest and tallest people meet! Probably almosteveryone has seen photographs where a dwarf and a giant stand side by side. They depict Sultan Kosen next to the two smallest people in the world: He PingPing and Chandra Dangi. Sultan Kosen is 251 cm, He PingPing is 74.6 cm, and C. Dangi is 54.6 cm.
But not only Sultan Kosen met small people. There is a much more interesting example: Jyoti Amge and Brahim Takiulla. Jyoti is the shortest woman in the world. Her height is only 61 centimeters. Brahim is officially the second tallest person. He is 246 cm tall. It's true what they say - opposites attract.
So, as you can see, gigantism is not a life-breaking disease at all. To complicate - yes, but not to break. Tall people are even popular!
