#hypertrichosis

[atchoumthecat]

"The weekend is off to a bad start. I forgot my sunglasses 😎 and the float is deflated.🫠 Hopefully, my lunch has been served"😵‍💫

**********

"Le week-end commence mal. J’ai oublié mes lunettes soleil 😎 et la bouée est dégonflée.🫠 En espérant que mon déjeuner a été servi.😵‍💫

[chimeride]

Maymaygwashi, the 228th Known One.

[maverick-werewolf]

Werewolf Fact #73 - Hypertrichosis, excessive hair growth ("werewolf syndrome"), Beauty and the Beast, and Bluebeard

Today I'll be covering something else clinical: hypertrichosis.

You may have heard of "werewolf syndrome," a condition of excessive hair growth. It isn't to be confused with clinical lycanthropy, which is something else entirely. "Werewolf syndrome" is also called hypertrichosis - and it's occasionally associated with and/or can even be derived from another condition, porphyria, that was also associated with "werewolves" throughout scholarship. Likewise, the most well-known kind of hypertrichosis that involves excessive hair growth all over the body is also often associated with gum and teeth problems; such issues could lead to unusual teeth and mouth shape.

Interestingly, however, despite a lot of modern scholars retroactively assuming that werewolf victims of the past could have suffered hypertrichosis, many of the werewolf legends in question specifically describe lycanthropy sufferers to look quite different. The legends in question are later era ones from the Early Modern period, during which time lycanthropy had become a madness and a disease under clinical and scientific supervision, very much unlike previous time periods, as I cover extensively in my book The Werewolf: Past and Future as well as other werewolf facts.

These legends describe sufferers of the werewolf curse variably to only be "hairy" when in their wolf form specifically (other than, occasionally, having long hair without mention of unusual body hair), highlighting how they were not unusually hairy in human form, or to "always [have] some hairs in the hollow of his hand" (as noted by Sabine Baring-Gould in The Book of Were-Wolves; taken from page 121 of my own edition of his work). Hypertrichosis often specifically does not have hair growth on the palms, conversely. Likewise, many legends of later time periods even specifically say that werewolves are not hairy "on the outside," but that their hair "grows inward" when they aren't in their inhuman form.

Still, scholars entertain the notion of connections that I still question to a healthy degree, so I have studied it as a result. I think it's best to simply summarize it as, the syndrome reminds people of what werewolves are meant to look like, rather than asserting that "this is why some people believed in werewolves" and the like.

Hypertrichosis is rare, and any kind of proper documentation only began perhaps around the 1600s. During this time and for a very long time after, sufferers of hypertrichosis were often called a variety of terms like "ape-men" or "wolf-men." They were considered spectacles and often were brought to noble courts like exotic animals, to entertain high society. Many were circus freaks. Not all examples are before our time, either.

But, Mav, you ask, how is this related to Beauty and the Beast and Bluebeard? Aren't those fairytales?

One famous example of someone with hypertrichosis is the one whose related image began this post: Petrus Gonsalvus, who lived from around 1537 to sometime past 1617. He was called assorted names, such as "the wild gentleman of Tenerife," "the man of the woods," and of course, "the Canarian werewolf." He lived in assorted courts throughout both Italy and France, including the court of Henry II, King of France, around 1547 - he was sent there when he was but 10 years old as a gift from a regent (Margaret of Parma) of the Netherlands. He moved about various courts over time and even married.

Much of Gonsalvus's family inherited his condition (four of his seven children), including some of his daughters. Like their father, they were often traded amongst courts as pets of a sort. Here is Madelene Gonsalvus, a portrait from 1580:

It is believed that the marriage of Petrus Gonsalvus to his wife, a woman believed to be named Catherine and a lady-in-waiting to Catherine de Medici, may have provided some inspiration for the tale of Beauty and the Beast, which was first written in 1740 by Gabrielle-Suzanne Barbot de Villeneuve.

Beauty and the Beast may not be the only fairytale inspired by hypertrichosis, either. The tale of Bluebeard, as also discussed by Baring-Gould in his Book of Werewolves, describes Bluebeard as "His hair and moustache were light brown, and his beard was clipped to a point. This beard, which resembled no other beard" (232), similar to some elements of hypertrichosis variations, as well as mention of his gum condition: "At intervals he ground his teeth like a wild beast preparing to dash upon his prey, and then his lips became so contracted, as they were drawn in and glued, as it were, to his teeth, that their very colour was indiscernible" (233).

Sidebar: if you're interested in the story of Bluebeard and what it was based on, definitely check out Sabine Baring-Gould's The Book of Were-Wolves, as he has an unmatched documentation of it. I don't think it really has a place in a book about werewolves, but obviously I preserved his work in its original condition, so you can find it in my edition of his book, as well. It's not for the faint of heart, but it's morbidly very interesting.

So, connection to werewolves or not, it's still certain that hypertrichosis was seen as an inhuman condition. There are many examples of people who had or have the condition and records of how they were treated throughout history.

As mentioned, I have to wonder how much of this was actually associated with werewolf legends - given legends always explicitly involved transformation, which was the entire basis of it - but scholars eat this kind of thing up. In academia, everyone is always trying to come up with "new arguments" to "add to the conversation" or whatever, so we end up discussing and studying hypertrichosis alongside werewolf legends that specifically state such things weren't a part of the legends. Weird, isn't it?

Anyway, hope you enjoyed the post. Until next time!

And stay tuned for news and updates on a major [werewolf] book release later this year!

If you like my blog, be sure to follow me here and elsewhere for more folklore and fiction, including books, especially on werewolves! You can also sign up for my free newsletter for monthly werewolf/vampire/folklore facts, a free story, and book previews.

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[blackbackedjackal]

this is so random I just thought you would appreciate this. ebay user vm8693 has a wolf rug for sale with that gene that causes an overgrowth of fur (i think?) 😭 they're so cute if you wanted to look at them

He does omg!!

[abwwia]

#HERstory Alice Doherty poses with her family in a Victorian photograph, 1900s.

Alice Elizabeth Doherty (March 14, 1887 – June 13, 1933) was an American woman born with the condition hypertrichosis lanuginosa. Via Wikipedia

#AliceDoherty #Victorian #victoriaphotograph #hypertrichosis #hairyisbeautiful

[dailyunsolvedmysteries-movedd]

This is Lalit Patel. He has an extremely rare condition called Hypertrichosis, also known as werewolf syndrome. According to the media reports, the Indian teen said that people threw stones at him due to excessive hair growth and kids were scared that he would bite them. Unfortunately there is no cure for his condition. 

Only 50 known people have had this condition. 

[pmamtraveller]

PORTRAIT OF ANTONIETTA GONZALES (1595) by LAVINIA FONTANA

This strange portrait shows ANTONIETTA GONZALES, a young girl from the CANARY ISLANDS. She and her family, including her father, PETRUS GONZALES, all suffered from hypertrichosis, a rare genetic disorder that causes excessive hair growth throughout the face and body.

At the time, Hypertrichosis was thought to be a sign from GOD (as opposed to a demon curse) or a scientific curiosity. As a result, ANTOINETTE and her family were welcomed in EUROPEAN courtrooms.

FONTANA sketches the girl, no more than ten years old, with a sweet, innocent smile, looking at the viewer lovingly as she holds a piece of paper up to her chest that tells a bit about her personal history.

ANTONIETTA and her family belonged to the court of Countess ISABELLA of SORAGNA, according to the historian MERRY WEISER-HANKS. This portrait shows FONTANA’S talent for conveying a sense of gentleness to her patrons, regardless of their appearance.

It is also a portrait of a high emotional involvement, according to historian ENRICO MARIO DAL POZZOLO, and shows a close relationship between the artist and the sitter. It may be that, since female artists were a rarity in their own right at that time, the sitters shared a sense of being “outsiders”.

[dailyunsolvedmysteries]

This is Lalit Patel. He has an extremely rare condition called Hypertrichosis, also known as werewolf syndrome. According to the media reports, the Indian teen said that people threw stones at him due to excessive hair growth and kids were scared that he would bite them. Unfortunately there is no cure for his condition. 

Only 50 known people have had this condition. 

[batmanbeyondrocks]

People With Hypertrichosis

Credit: MODERNNOTORIETY @modernnotoriety

[kill-worthy]

The Timelessness of Selfies

Even before there was the camera, people felt the urge to have artists create images in their likeness. The wealthy had artists create portraits in watercolor, oil, and even frescoes. Often these artists would paint more expensive clothes or even change history by adding false imagery at the request of their patron. In the time of antiquity, people had statues and mosaics made to display their likeness. So, this practice is not a new habit of ours.

Oddly, there is one painting that always comes to my mind when thinking of humanity's constant need to create these kinds of displays. The painting I'm talking about was of a man who suffered with hypertrichosis named Pedro Gonzalez (Petrus Gonsalvus).

The story of Pedro Gonzalez, is a strange one. Pedro Gonzalez was born in 1556 in the Canary islands (a group of islands off the coast of Spain). At birth, he was a source of local curiosity and soon drew the attention of the aristocracy.

During the 16th century, all kinds of people were seen as oddities were traded between powerful or wealthy families. So, Pedro was taken from his home and given as a gift to King Henri II.

King Henri II decided to give Pedro a Latin name (Petrus Gonsalvus) and ordered Pedro to receive an education. The King did this as a sort of entertainment; he wanted to watch the "savage" fail. Fortunately for Pedro, his education was a success.

Pedro became fluent in multiple languages. He mastered the art of the nobleman's etiquette. He even became essential for receiving foreign dignitaries and ambassadors, gaining favoritism from the King.

When King Henri II died his wife, Catherine de Medici, took power as regent. She decided that Pedro should be married in hopes of producing more "wild children" like himself. Catherine became a matchmaker and found a woman (ironically also named Catherine) for him to marry. This new Catherine was a French woman, rumored to be a great beauty.

Petrus and Catherine met for the first time on their wedding day and though it might not have been love at first sight, Catherine gave him many children (seven in total and four of their children inherited their father's hypertrichosis)

In 1581, he and his family were sent on a never ending tour of the courts. Where many paintings and studies were done on him and his children. This fascination escalated and soon they settled under the ownership of Duke Ranuccio Farnese, who tragically sent away Pedro's affected children as gifts.

I don't know why I connect this strange story of Petrus and his family to the current selfie culture, but I do. Somehow, I think we have become voyeurs in each others lives. The more bizarre or unique the narrative, the more interested we become.

We all buy into the freak-show or spectacle of life. And I wonder who are the Petrus's of today?

[atchoumthecat]

When Atchoum focuses on something, it's hard to distract him 👀 👀

*******

Quand Atchoum se concentre sur quelque chose, il est difficile de le distraire 👀 👀

[tailsdollsnewlife]

Haven't drawn Tommaso and Chiara in forever. I did a slight redesign of them since I realized they don’t really have a twin vibe(granted, they look different from each other, but they got the whole Disney baby thing going on).

[cannondisabledcharacters]

Today's disabled character of the day is Lee Geumhwa's sister from Svaha The Sixth Finger, who has polydactylism and hypertrichosis

Requested by Anon

[Image Description: Photo of Lee Jae-in playing Geumhwa's sister. She is mostly covered in shadows. She has a bald head and pure black eyes. She is wearing a dark green robe and a striped undershirt.]

[dermexpertise]

Excessive hair growth can significantly impact wellbeing. Causes range from medications to hormonal disorders like PCOS. Careful history and exam are critical to identify any underlying condition requiring treatment.

For hirsutism, antiandrogens or insulin sensitizers may be indicated along with hair removal methods. Laser treatments offer longer-term reduction but require multiple sessions. More affordable at-home options include shaving, waxing, bleaching, plucking, depilatories.

What works best depends on the location, type and amount of hair, and patient preferences. Combination therapy is often most effective. Seek expert guidance from dermatologists like Dr. Aria Moradkhani of DermExpertise on customizing a hair removal plan for your needs.

#hirsutism #hypertrichosis #hairremoval #skincare #dermatology

#DrAriaMoradkhani #DermExpertise

[bunnyboyzyon]

Just found out what physical therian actually means

I always thought it meant some part of the way your body looks lead the way to your nonhuman identity like those people who grow an excessive amount of hair on their body (Hypertrichosis). I could totally understand how that could help find your way to finding out you're a therian, especially if it lines up like excessive hair and being a dog or a bear or another animal with lots of fur you literally already have all the fur

Turns out it just means a therian who physically identifies as their theriotype. So me fully believing I physically am my theriotypes makes me a physically therian?? Because that is how I feel, this isn't a human body, not anymore. This is the body of a rabbit with some mouse features, not a human. I don't think of myself as an animal trapped in a human body, i think of myself as an animal in my body.

That being said why the fuck do I see so many people hating on physical therians and saying they're not valid?? Like you're gonna go after someone who feels their body is that of a dog or a lizard?? That is the exact same vein as transphobia. That is the same thing as a transphobe going after a trans man for feeling their body is that of a man. It's not like they're lying, they're still therians. They just feel their bodies are what fits in their head just like trans people can feel their body is that of the gender that fits in their head. Just like not every trans person feels trapped in the body of a different gender, not every therian feels trapped in the body of a human, and you're gonna go after them because they don't experience the same pains as you? What does that make you? Cruel and pathetic. It makes you cruel and pathetic to invalidate and hurt other people just because they don't feel the same type of pain you do. Fucking fix it.

[cripplecharacters]

Hi! I know there are a lot of bad tropes about people with disabilities, and obviously I don't want to do them, but I was thinking that instead of avoiding them, it might be interesting to subvert/flip them instead.

For example, the "Super cool sci-fi prosthetic/aid that basically makes this character able bodied" except the character finds it a pain in the ass to use and just uses a normal wheelchair/prosthetic 99% of the time.

Or "Disabled people are monsters/inhuman" except the guy with, Idk, hypertrichosis named Wolf is just a normal dude and his petite, softspoken able-bodied girlfriend named Kitty is the one that turns into a werewolf on the full moon.

Or "The masking trope" but the person with a facial scar has to use a mask for safety reasons or they're at a masquerade ball and they get a custom mask that has their scar painted on it because they think their scar is cool looking.

Or "The disability reveal" except instead of being horrified or disgusted by the disabled person, everyone just sort of goes "Huh! Anyways, what were you saying earlier?"

Does this sort of thing sound like it could still be a problem? I love flipping/subverting tropes and I think it would be a great way to challenge people and make them think about their biases/assumptions regarding disabled people.

But I'm also worried that I would accidentally make something even worse. Do you guys have any advice?

Also, there are some that I don't want to flip or even deal with, like the "person fakes a disability". I honestly don't even know where to start with that mess and I can't think of a way to flip it that would make sense and not be some sort of incoherent nonsense lmao.

Hello lovely asker!

I think this sounds absolutely delightful (I especially like the one about the man with hypertrichosis and his werewolf girlfriend kitty.) This sounds like such a fun way to flip the tropes and the ones you picked and explained sound great.

And actually for the "person fakes disability" trope I think the show Special actually takes a sorta subverting take on that trope and does it in an interesting and comedic way (also it's a good show) if you would like to see a possible example. Another good Invert of a trope is in "Where the truth lies" (1999) and it takes a twist on the "The disabled person could never commit that crime!" trope. It stars Marlee Matlin and again another movie I highly recommend especially if your into messing about with tropes.

Subverting I think can make people a bit anxious just because you're not sure if it's actually going to end in the trope or be subverted, that sorta last minute switch and "Oh it didn't happen, phew" thing. But if it's done good, well, it's good. Subverting the trope from the get-go (like Special does) is a way to kinda ease that worry, but either way they both can be good.

Another thing you can do is change the trope where tropes are known within the story. The first one that comes to mind is like the "Disabled people die first" trope. So your characters are about to go into somewhere spooky but then your disabled character goes "Oh no, I'm not going in there. Disabled people always die first, you guys go on ahead.". This is often done with the "Disabled villain" trope too where something happens and then the character goes "I'm not gonna go all [mention of prominent disabled villain in media that has the same disability as them] on you guys!"

The only thing I would keep in mind, especially for Inverting Tropes is that often they are played for laughs. Now I don't mean like above where the purpose of the story is supposed to be funny/a comedy. I mean in the instance that the disabled person, even with the trope changed, is made the target of the joke. And as you said, you are right that some of the tropes are just better left alone partly because it is hard to make something good out of them. The "Cure Trope" is one that I just can't think of anything for, and there are many more that are just bad and are better left alone to perish.

This all sounds fun though! I hope you do end up doing something with any of these ideas of yours (if you write the hypertrichosis one I would absolutely love to read that one!). Happy writing!

~ Mod Virus 🌸