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A controversial new treatment promises to make little people taller

Health

By Damian Garde Nov. 18, 2019

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Ahmin Haider (center) and his brother Belal Haider (right) work on their homework with their cousin Zayyan Agboatwalla (left) at the Haiders’ home in Saratoga, Calif. Ahmin was born with achondroplasia, the most common cause of dwarfism, and he’s enrolled in a clinical trial of a treatment that might make him taller and prevent medical complications.
Laura Morton for STAT

Scientists have come up with a drug, injected once a day, that appears to make children’s bones grow. To many, it’s a wondrous invention that could improve the lives of thousands of people with dwarfism. To others, it’s a profit-driven solution in search of a problem, one that could unravel decades of hard-won respect for an entire community.

In the middle are families, doctors, and a pharmaceutical company, all dealing with a philosophically fraught question: Is it ethical to make a little person taller?

The most common cause of dwarfism is known as achondroplasia. People with the condition, caused by a rare genetic mutation, have shorter limbs and shorter stature than those without it, and they deal with a lifetime of skeletal issues that often require a battery of corrective surgeries.

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For years a U.S. company called BioMarin Pharmaceutical has been developing a drug that targets the genetic roots of achondroplasia, a mutation that stops cartilage from turning into bone. The goal, according to the company, is to prevent the medical complications associated with achondroplasia, which include sleep apnea, hearing loss, and spinal problems.

But proving the drug’s long-term skeletal benefits would require a decades-long study, which is an expensive and, to BioMarin, impractical proposition. Instead, the company is measuring the the most immediate byproduct of bone growth: height.

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And that’s where the philosophical schism begins.

For thousands of little people, the short stature that comes with achondroplasia is not a disability in need of treatment but a difference to be celebrated. Organizations like Little People of America have spent years dispelling stereotypes, advocating for fairness, and pointing out that having achondroplasia doesn’t preclude anyone from a fulfilling life. Dwarf pride means flourishing because of one’s body, not in spite of it.

Through that lens, the drug looks to some like a threat of erasure, a so-called cure for people who are not sick. Furthermore, about 80% of babies with achondroplasia are born to parents of average height. That means, if the drug goes on to win Food and Drug Administration approval, the decision of whether to give it to a child would often be made by people with no exposure to little people culture, who know nothing of dwarf pride.

“People feel like this is an effort to eliminate the dwarfism community,” said Becky Curran Kekula, a disability advocate and motivational speaker who was born with achondroplasia. “Some say this is going to help things get better, but how could someone know?”

There is no consensus. Where some little people see the drug, called vosoritide, as an affront to their identity, others wish it had existed when they were children. Parents, too, speak of it either as a source of hope or a danger to their child’s sense of self-worth. Online discussions of the issue often grow heated. Some people contacted by STAT declined to speak on the record for fear of inciting a backlash.

There is, however, little dispute over what the future holds. Vosoritide is on track to win FDA approval, leaving all parties to prepare for a world in which height is a matter of choice.

BioMarin’s work in dwarfism starts with the genetics.

In 1994, scientists at the University of California in Irvine traced achondroplasia to a gene called FGFR3, which regulates bone growth. In people with the condition, they discovered, that gene is mutated, impairing the natural process of turning cartilage into bone.

About seven years later, researchers at Kyoto University in Japan demonstrated that a protein in the body, long studied for its role in heart function, seemed to reverse the effects of that broken gene. The natural version of that protein, called C-type natriuretic peptide, gets cleared out of the body in about a minute, making it useless as a medicine. But, over about a decade of scientific trial and error, BioMarin came up with an analog called CNP39, a longer-lasting version that it believed could counteract the genetic mutation and restore healthy bone growth. The result was vosoritide.

So far, the drug looks like it works. In a clinical trial enrolling 35 children with achondroplasia, the highest doses of vosoritide helped kids reach growth milestones 50% faster than they did without treatment. Compared to baseline, those children grew roughly two extra centimeters each year, bringing them nearly in line with their average-heighted peers. The side effects were mostly mild, including irritation at the injection site, low blood pressure, and fever. The results were published in the New England Journal of Medicine last summer.

BioMarin started a larger, placebo-controlled study in 2016, enrolling more than 100 children between 5 and 14 in a trial expected to conclude later this year. If it’s positive, the company will submit the results to the FDA in hopes of winning approval. As before, the primary goal is increasing growth.

“But aspirationally, what we’re all hoping to see is not only do we increase height but we improve the quality of life and the clinical morbidities that these patients suffer from,” said Dr. Jonathan Day, BioMarin’s executive medical director.

Achondroplasia affects the growth of all but a few bones in the body, not just the ones associated with height. That means vosoritide’s benefits, while most observable in terms of height, would in theory translate to the spine, where achondroplasia’s most dangerous side effects take root.

That will take years to prove, Day acknowledged. He has heard the concerns about the emphasis on height, about the existential implications for adult little people. But vosoritide, he argued, presents the best chance of a better future for children with achondroplasia.

“We can’t make a drug that enhances skeletal growth but doesn’t make you taller,” Day said. “It just doesn’t work that way.”

“People feel like this is an effort to eliminate the dwarfism community. Some say this is going to help things get better, but how could someone know?”

Becky Curran Kekula, disability advocate and motivational speaker who was born with achondroplasia

Little People of America, with a membership of around 8,000, spent years keeping BioMarin at a distance. Founded in 1957, the group’s stated mission is to provide a safe, welcoming community for all little people, no matter their opinions on controversial issues like dwarf tossing and limb-lengthening surgery. When the group learned about vosoritide in 2012, it seemed like yet another matter of personal choice, something on which members could disagree but from which the group would officially abstain.

But LPA’s commitment to neutrality came dramatically into question earlier this year, when the group’s board invited representatives from BioMarin to the organization’s annual conference and, most alarming to some members, accepted a $130,000 donation from the company.

Many members only learned of the arrangement when they saw the drug company’s logo on a list of LPA sponsors on conference collateral. That led to an outpouring of concern and condemnation on LPA’s Facebook page. At the conference, held in San Francisco in July, the group convened an emergency town hall meeting, where the board sat in a hotel ballroom and listened to outrage and confusion from its members. Footage of that meeting was also posted to the Facebook page.

“Seeing that sponsorship on the conference booklet was like a slap in my face,” LPA member Monique Conley told the board. “We didn’t need their money,” she said to applause. “We’re not these poor charity cases. We have lives. We love our lives. ”

Regardless of LPA’s intentions, its acceptance of money from BioMarin sent the message to some members that the group had co-signed the development of vosoritide, a notion many find abhorrent, said Olga Marohnic, chairwoman of the organization’s Hispanic affairs committee.

“There’s millions of other companies that we can get money from that will not tie us to a pharmaceutical company that in my view is trying to tell my family, tell my son, and my friends that they’re not OK the way they are,” Marohnic said at the town hall. Her teenage son, Matthew, has achondroplasia.

Mark Povinelli, LPA’s president, answered each member’s concern during the hourlong forum. He expressed regret for how the board communicated its decision, but not for the decision itself. In all likelihood, there will soon be a world in which vosoritide will be available to kids with achondroplasia, he said. Pretending otherwise would leave LPA on the outside looking in. Inviting BioMarin to the conference, however distasteful it may seem, gives LPA members a chance to be heard, he said.

“I feel personally that the future of this organization is going to have people of different heights. It’s just the reality. They’re already in the trials. We can’t stop them,” Povinelli said. “I want to make sure that those kids know that there is a support group out there that they can go to. And if we shun them so vociferously now, we’re never going to get them.”

For decades, all have been welcome to LPA, he added, and there’s no reason vosoritide should change that.

“If this divides us, we can’t blame pharma,” Povinelli said. “It’s on us. It’s totally on us. So it’s up to us to have these dialogues and to talk about this. I feel so passionately about this organization,” he said, stifling tears, “and it was never our intention to divide it.”

LPA did not make Povinelli available for an interview.

LPA’s voice is perhaps the loudest in the little people community, but it doesn’t speak for everyone. Last year, the FDA convened a public hearing on the topic of vosoritide, inviting experts, parents, and people with achondroplasia to share their thoughts on BioMarin’s drug. Some expressed the familiar reservations. Many more said they welcome it.

One of them was Chandler Crews. In 2010, Crews decided she had had enough of having to ask for help, of worrying about whether public restrooms would be accessible, and of struggling with routine feminine hygiene.

She was 16 and standing 3 feet and 10 inches tall, and she decided to lengthen her legs. That meant a procedure in which surgeons cut her femur, tibia, and fibula. They attached external fixators to hold them together, set in place with 12 struts drilled into the bone. Multiple times per day, for 12 weeks, she twisted the struts to stretch out her legs. She spent another three months allowing bone to grow into the gaps. After weeks of physical therapy, she was back on her feet, 6 inches taller.

Then, two years later, she did it again, going through the same routine. She also had her arms lengthened, a procedure that involves cutting into the humerus, installing struts, and twisting every day.

There was pain, but nothing a tapered dose oxycodone couldn’t manage. Crews is now 26 and just shy of 5 feet tall. She considers limb lengthening to be the best decision she has ever made.

She no longer has to worry about getting shampoo out of her hair, dealing with particularly heavy doors, or needing pedal extensions to drive. Then there are the benefits she didn’t anticipate. Speaking face-to-face with people, rather than gazing up at them, makes a world of difference, she said. And, with hindsight as evidence, she feels for the first time like people are treating her in accordance with her actual age.

“Beforehand I would hate asking people for help or assistance with things, but now if I can’t reach something, I’m like, I’ll ask whoever,” Crews said. “I think it’s that now I feel more like I’m just short and less that I have a disability. I think that has a lot to do with it.”

Unlike vosoritide, Crews’ procedure offers no promise that she won’t need further surgery in the future, that she won’t encounter any of the medical complications that often come with achondroplasia. It’s just a matter of height. But to Crews, the psychosocial benefits of being taller are well worth the discomfort of limb-lengthening. She doesn’t have dwarf pride.

“I’ll never have that,” she said. “I’ve always seen my having dwarfism as a medical diagnosis, which is what it is. So when people would tell me, ‘You’re just short’ — well, if that’s the case, then why am I constantly having to go to the doctor to get my ears checked? To examine my spine?”

The implications of height go beyond aesthetics, according to Dr. John Phillips, who has been diagnosing and treating achondroplasia since the 1970s. Phillips, a pediatric geneticist at Vanderbilt University, got word a few years ago that a longtime patient and friend had died. Achondroplasia had left her with spinal stenosis, nerve damage caused by undergrown vertebrae that was beyond the reach of surgery. But what killed her was a fall in a bathroom, one that resulted from her struggling to use a toilet that was too tall for her stature.

Now Phillips is an investigator in the vosoritide trial, a role for which he receives no direct payment from BioMarin. Perhaps the drug could have prevented his friend’s spinal stenosis. But even if it hadn’t, even if it had only made her taller, she might still be alive, Phillips said.

“Some people are concerned that this is a cosmetic drug,” Phillips said. “I’m trying to say: In my experience, seeing patients die, I don’t view that as cosmetic. I view that as extremely serious.”

Meher Haider, Belal Haider, Munira Shamim, Amer Haider, and Ahmin Haider (left to right) at their home in Saratoga, Calif. The family has a nonprofit, Growing Stronger, with the mission of improving the quality of medical care for people with achondroplasia through supporting research. Laura Morton for STAT

Amer Haider was on a 12-hour flight to China when he got the idea. Looking for a movie to help pass the time, he settled on “Extraordinary Measures.” When the lead actor, Brendan Fraser, has his life upended with news of his daughter’s rare disease, Haider thought of his toddler, Ahmin, diagnosed with achondroplasia the year before. And when Fraser’s character makes the acquaintance of Harrison Ford’s prickly scientist with an idea for a treatment, Haider saw a path forward.

In 2010, Haider and his wife, Munira Shamim, embarked on a scientific journey of their own. It led them to Dr. William Horton, at Shriners Hospital in Oregon, who explained there was no shortage of bright ideas in achondroplasia, just a lack of funding. So Haider and Shamim started Growing Stronger, a nonprofit that would support achondroplasia research.

To the couple, the idea seemed simple enough. Ahmin’s diagnosis portended a lifetime of medical difficulties, and science might be able to make things better. But the complexity of achondroplasia, medicine, and dwarf pride became clear in the early days of fundraising, after Haider made his pitch to a member of LPA: “I said, ‘What do you think?’ And he said, ‘Well, I think what you’re doing is genocide.’”

“It was a really hard-hitting comment,” Haider said. But he’s glad he heard it. Over time, Growing Stronger amended its language to encompass as much of the achondroplasia community as possible. The group’s mission statement used to emphasize efforts to improve the quality of life of people with achondroplasia — fraught with the implication that little people lead poor lives. Now it’s about improving medical care. Regardless of one’s stance on dwarf pride, everyone agrees time outside the hospital is better spent than time within it.

“As we dug deeper, we realized that in the achondroplasia community, there is a huge component of self-identity, which makes 100% sense,” Haider said. “And if you go in saying ‘I’m here to try to take away your identity,’ the reaction is what you’d expect.”

Growing Stronger has since raised more than $500,000, including from donors at LPA. It has funded research at labs around the world, and it hosts Q&As with medical experts, a free resource for the achondroplasia community.

Ahmin Haider is now 11. He’s doing well in school, has joined the Boy Scouts, and went away to camp over the summer. He talks about growing up and starting a home for children with achondroplasia who’ve been given up for adoption, “a place where they can find love,” Shamim said.

Ahmin has been fortunate to have few medical complications so far, his parents said, but keeping him healthy, functioning, and confident takes daily work.

“The amount of bullying that he has had to deal with on the playground, I can’t even begin to fathom,” Shamim said. “The number of times he’s asked why he’s so short is scathing to the psychology. He has had to really toughen up and be proud of who he his. But we had to do the extra work of enabling him to arrive at that self-confidence: ‘You’re good as you are. You’re good enough.”

In January 2018, when Ahmin was 9, he enrolled in BioMarin’s vosoritide study, the one that would support FDA approval. There’s no way to know whether he got the drug or placebo in the first year of the study, but for at least the past six months, he’s been taking vosoritide every day. The family hasn’t been obsessively tracking his height, but his mobility seems to have improved. At camp, he swam an entire mile.

There was no debate over whether Ahmin should take part in the study, Haider and Shamim said, no question of whether vosoritide’s effects on height might unwind their son’s hard-won confidence as a little person.

“For me, these are not irreconcilable ideas,” Shamim said.

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Dwarfism – Symptoms and causes

Overview

Dwarfism is short stature that results from a genetic or medical condition. Dwarfism is generally defined as an adult height of 4 feet 10 inches (147 centimeters) or less. The average adult height among people with dwarfism is 4 feet (122 cm).

Many different medical conditions cause dwarfism. In general, the disorders are divided into two broad categories:

• Disproportionate dwarfism. If body size is disproportionate, some parts of the body are small, and others are of average size or above-average size. Disorders causing disproportionate dwarfism inhibit the development of bones.
• Proportionate dwarfism. A body is proportionately small if all parts of the body are small to the same degree and appear to be proportioned like a body of average stature. Medical conditions present at birth or appearing in early childhood limit overall growth and development.

Some people prefer the term “short stature” or “little people” rather than “dwarf” or “dwarfism.” So it’s important to be sensitive to the preference of someone who has this disorder. Short stature disorders do not include familial short stature — short height that’s considered a normal variation with normal bone development.

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Symptoms

Signs and symptoms — other than short stature — vary considerably across the spectrum of disorders.

Disproportionate dwarfism

Most people with dwarfism have disorders that cause disproportionately short stature. Usually, this means that a person has an average-size trunk and very short limbs, but some people may have a very short trunk and shortened (but disproportionately large) limbs. In these disorders, the head is disproportionately large compared with the body.

Almost all people with disproportionate dwarfism have normal intellectual capacities. Rare exceptions are usually the result of a secondary factor, such as excess fluid around the brain (hydrocephalus).

The most common cause of dwarfism is a disorder called achondroplasia, which causes disproportionately short stature. This disorder usually results in the following:

• An average-size trunk
• Short arms and legs, with particularly short upper arms and upper legs
• Short fingers, often with a wide separation between the middle and ring fingers
• Limited mobility at the elbows
• A disproportionately large head, with a prominent forehead and a flattened bridge of the nose
• Progressive development of bowed legs
• Progressive development of swayed lower back
• An adult height around 4 feet (122 cm)

Another cause of disproportionate dwarfism is a rare disorder called spondyloepiphyseal dysplasia congenita (SEDC). Signs may include:

• A very short trunk
• A short neck
• Shortened arms and legs
• Average-size hands and feet
• Broad, rounded chest
• Slightly flattened cheekbones
• Opening in the roof of the mouth (cleft palate)
• Hip deformities that result in thighbones turning inward
• A foot that’s twisted or out of shape
• Instability of the neck bones
• Progressive hunching curvature of the upper spine
• Progressive development of swayed lower back
• Vision and hearing problems
• Arthritis and problems with joint movement
• Adult height ranging from 3 feet (91 cm) to just over 4 feet (122 cm)

Proportionate dwarfism

Proportionate dwarfism results from medical conditions present at birth or appearing in early childhood that limit overall growth and development. So the head, trunk and limbs are all small, but they’re proportionate to each other. Because these disorders affect overall growth, many of them result in poor development of one or more body systems.

Growth hormone deficiency is a relatively common cause of proportionate dwarfism. It occurs when the pituitary gland fails to produce an adequate supply of growth hormone, which is essential for normal childhood growth. Signs include:

• Height below the third percentile on standard pediatric growth charts
• Growth rate slower than expected for age
• Delayed or no sexual development during the teen years

When to see a doctor

Signs and symptoms of disproportionate dwarfism are often present at birth or in early infancy. Proportionate dwarfism may not be immediately apparent. See your child’s doctor if you have any concerns about your child’s growth or overall development.

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Causes

Most dwarfism-related conditions are genetic disorders, but the causes of some disorders are unknown. Most occurrences of dwarfism result from a random genetic mutation in either the father’s sperm or the mother’s egg rather than from either parent’s complete genetic makeup.

Achondroplasia

About 80 percent of people with achondroplasia are born to parents of average height. A person with achondroplasia and with two average-size parents received one mutated copy of the gene associated with the disorder and one normal copy of the gene. A person with the disorder may pass along either a mutated or normal copy to his or her own children.

Turner syndrome

Turner syndrome, a condition that affects only girls and women, results when a sex chromosome (the X chromosome) is missing or partially missing. A female inherits an X chromosome from each parent. A girl with Turner syndrome has only one fully functioning copy of the female sex chromosome rather than two.

Growth hormone deficiency

The cause of growth hormone deficiency can sometimes be traced to a genetic mutation or injury, but for most people with the disorder, no cause can be identified.

Other causes

Other causes of dwarfism include other genetic disorders, deficiencies in other hormones or poor nutrition. Sometimes the cause is unknown.

Complications

Complications of dwarfism-related disorders can vary greatly, but some complications are common to a number of conditions.

Disproportionate dwarfism

The characteristic features of the skull, spine and limbs shared by most forms of disproportionate dwarfism result in some common problems:

• Delays in motor skills development, such as sitting up, crawling and walking
• Frequent ear infections and risk of hearing loss
• Bowing of the legs
• Difficulty breathing during sleep (sleep apnea)
• Pressure on the spinal cord at the base of the skull
• Excess fluid around the brain (hydrocephalus)
• Crowded teeth
• Progressive severe hunching or swaying of the back with back pain or problems breathing
• Narrowing of the channel in the lower spine (spinal stenosis), resulting in pressure on the spinal cord and subsequent pain or numbness in the legs
• Arthritis
• Weight gain that can further complicate problems with joints and the spine and place pressure on nerves

Proportionate dwarfism

With proportionate dwarfism, problems in growth and development often result in complications with poorly developed organs. For example, heart problems that often occur with Turner syndrome can have a significant effect on health. An absence of sexual maturation associated with growth hormone deficiency or Turner syndrome affects both physical development and social functioning.

Pregnancy

Women with disproportionate dwarfism may develop respiratory problems during pregnancy. A C-section (cesarean delivery) is almost always necessary because the size and shape of the pelvis doesn’t allow for successful vaginal delivery.

Public perceptions

Most people with dwarfism prefer not to be labeled by a condition. However, some people may refer to themselves as dwarfs, little people or people of short stature. The word “midget” is generally considered an offensive term.

People of average height may have misconceptions about people with dwarfism. And the portrayal of people with dwarfism in modern movies often includes stereotypes. Misconceptions can impact a person’s self-esteem and limit opportunities for success in school or employment.

Children with dwarfism are particularly vulnerable to teasing and ridicule from classmates. Because dwarfism is relatively uncommon, children may feel isolated from their peers.

By Mayo Clinic Staff

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• Themed levels
• Socratic questioning

The Curriculum Manual for each level provides parents all the tools they need for success including the program overview, readiness assessment, list of required curricula and read-aloud/enrichment books or supplements, supply list, teacher notes, suggested schedule, lesson plans, and the week-by-week chart for recitation and memory work. The detailed readiness assessment for each level covers language, cognitive ability, emotional development, fine-motor skills, and gross motor skills and is followed by a set of skills in each area to develop during this level of the program. Other than making sure you have the required resources and supplies for the day prep is practically nil. Organized in a two-page spread, grid format, the weekly lesson plans provide assignments and brief teacher notes to support the lesson. Beginning with Level 5 & 6, combined levels are available in either a One Year Accelerated Pace or Two-Year Standard Pace. Simply Classical provides children with significant special needs or other learning struggles the opportunity to excel with a classical education. Parents of struggling learners will appreciate the slower pacing, review and predominately oral lessons that help children succeed.

Curriculum manuals and curriculum/read-aloud books are available separately. Where available, we offer different packages to simplify ordering. The Core Curriculum Packages include the Curriculum Manual plus the books/workbooks used throughout the year. The Read Aloud Packages include all the books used as read alouds for the year. New User Add-On Packages are available for levels that reuse resources from a previous level. The Supply Packages are a collection of school supplies that are needed to complete the program. ~ Janice/Deanne

Category Description for Simply Classical Curriculum Level B:

Theme is Essentials, Etiquette and Ear Training. Emphasis areas are manners, letter identification, music, counting, art, crafts, and Bible stories. Approximate mental age for this level is 3-4. Daily areas include prayer, calendar, recitation, alphabet lesson/ear training, number lesson/fine-motor skills, literature/language, poetry/music, manners/games, enrichment or therapies, Bible literacy, and closing prayer. Prayers for Children illustrated by Eloise Wilkin is a required supplement for this level but is not included in any package.

FAQ

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the definition of dwarfism?

What are the most common types of dwarfism?

What is a midget?

What is the medical prognosis of a person with short stature?

Is dwarfism considered a disability?

Are people with dwarfism able to participate in athletic activities?

I’ve heard that car airbags can be dangerous to people of short stature. Should I have the airbag in my car disconnected?

Can average-size people become the parents of children with dwarfism?

Can short-statured couples become parents? Of children with dwarfism? Of average-size children?

Has the gene for achondroplasia been discovered?

What is LPA’s position on the implications of these discoveries in genetics?

We are parents of a newborn child who has been diagnosed with achondroplasia, and our pediatrician doesn’t know anything about it. What should we do?

We have heard that very young achondroplastic children can run into a variety of complications. What should we be looking for?

 My dwarf child will soon undergo surgery. What special considerations regarding anesthesia should be taken into account?

Does Little People of America have any special resources for parents?

We’ve heard about an operation to lengthen an achondroplastic dwarf’s legs and arms that can make them a similar height as their peers. Should we consider this?

Is it possible to adopt children with dwarfism? 

Q: What is the definition of dwarfism?

A: Little People of America (LPA) defines dwarfism as a medical or genetic condition that usually results in an adult height of 4’10” or shorter, among both men and women, although in some cases a person with a dwarfing condition may be slightly taller than that.The average height of an adult with dwarfism is 4’0, but typical heights range from 2’8 to 4’8.

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Q. What are the most common types of dwarfism?

A: The most frequently diagnosed cause of short stature is achondroplasia, a genetic condition that results in disproportionately short arms and legs. The average height of adults with achondroplasia is 4’0″. Other relatively common genetic conditions that result in disproportionate short stature include spondyloepiphyseal dysplasia congenita (SEDc), diastrophic dysplasia, pseudoachondroplasia, hypochondroplasia, and osteogenesis imperfecta (OI). As one might expect from their names, pseudoachondroplasia and hypochondroplasia are conditions that have been confused with achondroplasia; diastrophic dysplasia occasionally is, too. OI is characterized by fragile bones that fracture easily.

According to information compiled by the Greenberg Center at Johns Hopkins Medical Center and by the late Lee Kitchens, a past president of LPA, the frequency of occurrence of the most common types of dwarfism is as follows:

1.    Achondroplasia (one per 26,000 to 40,000 births)
2.    SEDc (one per 95,000 births
3.    Diastrophic dysplasia (one per 110,000 births)

Proportionate dwarfism —  short-stature conditions that result in the arms, legs, trunk, and head being in the same proportion (relative size to one another) as in an average-size person — is often the result of a hormonal deficiency, and may be treated medically, resulting in an average or near average height. There are not such treatments available for people with disproportionate short stature.

Although achondroplasia accounts for perhaps 70 percent of all cases of dwarfism, there are approximately 400 diagnosed types, and there are some individuals with dwarfism who never receive a definitive diagnosis and/or have a condition that is unique to themselves or their family.

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Q: What is a midget?

A: In some circles, a midget is the term used for a proportionate dwarf. However, the term has fallen into disfavor and is considered offensive by most people of short stature. The term dates back to 1865, the height of the “freak show” era, and was generally applied only to short-statured persons who were displayed for public amusement, which is why it is considered so unacceptable today.

Such terms as dwarf, little person, LP, and person of short stature are all acceptable, but most people would rather be referred to by their name than by a label.

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Q: What is the medical prognosis of a person with short stature?

A: It varies from condition to condition, and with the severity of that condition in each individual. However, the majority of LPs enjoy normal intelligence, normal life spans, and reasonably good health. Many will require surgeries or other medical interventions to address complications and maximize mobility.

Orthopedic complications are not unusual in people with disproportionate dwarfism such as achondroplasia and diastrophic dysplasia, and sometimes surgery is required. A common problem, especially in adults, is spinal stenosis — a condition in which the opening in the spinal column is too small to accommodate the spinal cord. People with this condition suffer from numbness and/or pain. It can be treated with a type of surgery called a laminectomy.

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Q: Is dwarfism considered a disability?

A: Opinions vary within the dwarf community about whether or not this term applies to us. Certainly many short-statured people could be considered disabled as a result of conditions, mainly orthopedic, related to their type of dwarfism. In addition, access issues and problems exist even for healthy LPs. Consider, for example, the simple fact that most achondroplastic adults cannot reach an automated teller machine. LPA is working to make common activities easily reachable by people with dwarfism – including gas pumps, pay phones, and ATM’s.  Dwarfism is a recognized condition under the Americans with Disabilities Act. Information on the ADA is also available directly from the US Department of Justice, which administers the law.

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Q: Are people with dwarfism able to participate in athletic activities?

A:Yes, within the limits of their individual medical diagnoses. For instance, swimming and bicycling are often recommended for people with skeletal dysplasias, since those activities put minimal pressure on the spine. Long-distance running and contact sports can be harmful due to the potential of significant pressure or impact on the spine.

The Dwarf Athletic Association of America (DAAA) organizes competitions at the annual convention of the Little People of America. 

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Q: I’ve heard that car airbags can be dangerous to people of short stature. Should I have the airbag in my car disconnected?

A: You certainly may want to consider taking such a step. You can find out more at the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration’s airbag information site.

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Q:Can average-size people become the parents of children with dwarfism? 

A: Yes, more than 80% of children with dwarfism have average-height parents and siblings. LPA is deeply concerned that as it becomes increasingly common to diagnose genetic conditions in utero, including dwarfism, prospective parents will find it difficult to obtain the data they need to make an informed decision as to whether to continue with the pregnancy. Genetic testing carries with it frightening implications for a whole range of issues, including a person’s right to obtain medical and other forms of insurance. LPA believes strongly that prospective parents who become familiar with the full, productive lives led by little people will not likely choose termination.

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Q: Can short-statured couples become parents? Of children with dwarfism? Of average-size children?

A: Yes. The odds vary with diagnosis, but a person with achondroplasia has one dwarfism gene and one “average-size” gene. If both parents have achondroplasia, there is a 25 percent chance their child will inherit the non-dwarfism gene from each parent and thus be average-size. There’s a 50 percent chance the child will inherit one dwarfism gene and one non-dwarfism gene and thus have achondroplasia, just like her or his parents. And there is a 25 percent chance the child will inherit both dwarfism genes, a condition known a double-dominant syndrome, and which invariably ends in death at birth or shortly thereafter.

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Q: Has the gene for achondroplasia been discovered?

A: The gene for achondroplasia was located and identified for the first time in 1994 by a team of scientists at the University of California in Irvine. The lead scientist, the late Dr. John Wasmuth, urged that in-utero screening for achondroplasia be prohibited except to detect double-dominant syndrome among achondroplastic couples.

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Q: What is LPA’s position on the implications of these discoveries in genetics?

A: The following is LPA’s “Position Statement on Genetic Discoveries in Dwarfism”:

The short statured community and society in general have become increasingly aware of eugenics movements (efforts to improve human qualities by selection of certain traits) in medical history in the U.S. and abroad and the traditional desire of parents to create perfect, healthy children. Along with other persons affected by genetic disorders, we are not only concerned as to how our health needs will be met under dramatically changing health care systems, but how the use of genetic technologies will affect our quality of life, medically, as well as socially. What will be the impact of the identification of the genes causing dwarfism, not only on our personal lives and our needs, but on how society views us as individuals?

The gene for achondroplasia, the most common type of dwarfism, was discovered in 1994. Achondroplasia is caused by a gene mutation that is the same in 98% of the cases. The mutation, affecting growth, especially in the long bones, occurs early in fetal development in one out of every twenty thousand births. Since the achondroplasia gene discovery, genes for many other forms of dwarfism have been located and identified, including those for spondyloepiphyseal  dysplasia, diastrophic dwarfism and pseudoachondroplasia. These discoveries occurred much more rapidly than either the members of Little People of America (LPA) or the medical community had anticipated. Suddenly and unexpectedly, LPA was placed right in the middle of the medical, social and ethical debate surrounding the brave new world of genetic technology. At that time, formal discussions and education on genetic issues had not yet begun within LPA. Most of us, like most of society, had limited knowledge about the Human Genome Project and the social and ethical implications associated with the possible applications of genetic technology. On one hand, the breakthrough may be used to help achondroplastic couples to identify a fetus with “double dominant” or homozygous achondroplasia, a fatal condition that occurs in 25% of births to those couples. It is also possible that the tests for genes causing short stature will become part of the increasingly routine and controversial genetic screening given to all expectant mothers.

LPA’s discussion of these possibilities brought forth a strong emotional reaction. Some members were excited about the developments that led to the understanding of the cause of their conditions, along with the possibility of not having to endure a pregnancy resulting in the infant’s death. Others reacted with fear that the knowledge from genetic tests such as these will be used to terminate affected pregnancies and therefore take the opportunity for life away from children such as ourselves and our children. The common thread throughout the discussions was that we as short statured individuals are productive members of society who must inform the world that, though we face challenges, most of them are environmental (as with people with other disabilities), and we value the opportunity to contribute a unique perspective to the diversity of our society.

LPA is revitalizing its public education campaign, so that people of all sizes, including potential parents and health care professionals, will be properly informed of the realities of life with short stature. LPA is made up of over five thousand individuals with more than a hundred types of dwarfism, their families, a medical advisory board, and other friends and professionals. We are teachers, artists, lawyers, doctors, accountants, welders, plumbers, engineers and actors. We represent every nationality, ethnic group, religion and sexual orientation. Many of us have secondary disabilities as well. We are single and married, with families with spouses, parents and children who are average size and dwarfed, biological, and adopted. For LPA members there is a common feeling of self-acceptance, pride, community and culture. Since 1957, LPA has provided peer support, social and educational opportunities to thousands of individuals with dwarfism and their families. We have been educating society and the medical community about the truths of life with short stature and working to dispel commonly held myths. With the discovery of various genes and mutations causing dwarfism, our educational and advocacy efforts have become ever more important, in the face of a rapidly changing genetic frontier.

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Q: We are parents of a newborn child who has been diagnosed with achondroplasia, and our pediatrician doesn’t know anything about it. What should we do?

A: Make sure the pediatrician gets a copy of the Health Supervision for Children with Achondroplasia, an article by the Committee on Genetics of the American Academy of Pediatrics, which was originally published in 1995 and was updated in 2005. It is an excellent overview to the issues involved in treating a child with achondroplasia.

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Q: We have heard that very young achondroplastic children can run into a variety of complications. What should we be looking for?

A: There are three complications that are sometimes require intervention in achondroplastic infants and toddlers. In all likelihood your child will not run into any of these problems, but she or he should be evaluated for them nevertheless.

Compression of the brain stem resulting from the base of the skull (foramen magnum) being too small to accommodate the spinal cord. Symptoms include central apnea (a condition that causes a person to stop breathing frequently while sleeping) and a general failure to thrive. This condition is treated through surgery, and children who have undergone this operation tend to do very well

Hydrocephalus, the technical term for excess fluid on the brain, resulting from the drainage openings in the skull being of insufficient size. Many people with achondroplasia have some hydrocephalus, and no harm generally results. In addition, all people with achondroplasia have slightly enlarged heads, which can sometimes create the appearance of a problem when there is none. Nevertheless, occasionally hydrocephalus can present a problem, in which case a shunt may be surgically implanted to drain the excess fluid.

Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) results from an infant’s or very young child’s airways being too small or improperly shaped. The child stops breathing and wakes up frequently during the night (unfortunately, as is generally the case with apnea, these moments of wakefulness are fleeting and often go undetected by parents), sweats, snores, and fails to thrive. Depending on the severity, a physician may recommend waiting until the child outgrows the problem, monitoring the child’s oxygen levels and/or trying treatments such as supplemental oxygen and/or CPAP (or BiPAP), a treatment device that provides pressure to the lungs. In very rare instances, a tracheostomy (an opening in the throat) may be needed to circumvent the tiny upper airways until those airways have a chance to grow. Children who continue to have or are diagnosed with OSA after the age of 3 may be treated by removing the tonsils and adenoids (further opening up the air passages).

All children with achondroplasia should have screening tests for these complications in the first year of life: imaging (CT or MRI) of the head, including the the base of the skull, and a sleep study.

These problems, as well as others, are discussed in more detail in “Health Supervision for Children with Achondroplasia.”

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Q: My dwarf child will soon undergo surgery. What special considerations regarding anesthesia should be taken into account?

A: In general, the anesthesiologist needs to be careful not to hyperextend your child’s neck as much as she or he might with a non-dwarf child. Dosage should be based upon your child’s weight, rather than age.

Please be sure your child’s doctors have seen the article Dwarfs: Pathophysiology and Anesthetic Implications,” by Berkowitz, Raja, Bender, and Kopits, in the October 1990 issue of the medical journal Anesthesiology(Volume 73, Number 4, pages 739-759). (Note: The full text of this article is available in the LPA Online Libraryand the LPA Medical Resource Center)

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Q:Does Little People of America have any special resources for parents?

A: Yes. Explore our Parent and Teacher Page.

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Q: We’ve heard about an operation to lengthen an achondroplastic dwarf’s legs and arms that can make them a similar height as their peers. Should we consider this?

A: As a general statement of philosophy, most members of the dwarf community believe that no child should undergo surgery unless it is for a treatable medical condition that will improve her or his health. Limb-lengthening surgery, by contrast, does not address any medical condition, although certainly there are dwarfs who have undergone the procedure and are quite happy with the results.

Resources on extended limb-lengthening, including the LPA Medical Advisory Board’s assessment and a personal essay by a woman who successfully underwent the surgery, are available in the LPA Online Library.

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Q: Is it possible to adopt children with dwarfism?

A: Yes. Children are available for adoption both within the United States and abroad. There are no shortcuts, however. Adopting a dwarf child is every bit as challenging and arduous a process as adopting an average-stature child. For more information, please go to the Adoption Page.

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© 2020 Little People of America.
All Rights Reserved 

The smallest person in the world

Height plays an important role in life, but there are unique individuals in the world who were born very small. Someone became famous thanks to this feature, someone is quite difficult to live in this big world. All of them deserve respect and are a good example of strong people who did not give up in the face of difficulties. They were able to find strength, self-confidence, successfully build a life.

Top 10 smallest people in the world

1. Chandra Bahadur Dangi was the lightest and smallest man in the world.
2. Junri Balauing is the shortest living man in the world.
3. Konstantin Morozov is a courageous man from Russia.
4. Jyoti Amji is a cheerful little girl from India.
5. Khagendra Tapa Magar is a small man with big hopes.
6. Bridgette Jordan is America’s tiniest activist.
7. Hatija Kocaman is one of the smallest and most determined in the world.
8. Stacey Gerald is the world’s shortest happy mom.
9. Lucia Zarate is the smallest and thinnest in history.
10. Paulina Musters is a famous artist and the smallest girl.

Chandra Bahadur Dangi – the oldest short man in the world

Grandfather from a Nepalese village was awarded two certificates at once, he was not only the smallest in the world, but also the lightest. With a height of 54.6, it weighed only 12 kilograms. The Nepalese lived all his life in his native village, the world did not even know about his existence. Fame came to a man at 72. He never tried to understand what was wrong with him, why he was born like that. An amazing love of life helped Dungy adapt to the conditions. Like all fellow villagers, Chandra worked every day, tending sheep, earning a living by weaving.

Chandra Bahadur Dangi – the smallest grandfather in the world

Bahadur Dangi turned to the representatives of the Book of Records himself, at the insistence of his relatives. They wanted the whole world to know about the man. The man was very happy that his name now went down in history, he dreamed of traveling, he wanted his native village to become popular, people would know about it. Unfortunately, in 2015 my grandfather fell ill with pneumonia and died.

Junri Balauing – the smallest man in the world

The guy lives in a small village in the Philippines. He is only 55.8 centimeters in height, the family immediately noticed that the son was no longer growing, relatives, the doctors simply believed that the boy was short and thin. But later the diagnosis of dwarfism was confirmed. There was an opportunity to change something, to carry out several very complex operations, but Junri’s family did not have that kind of money. The boy is the oldest child of the three, the rest are developing normally.

Junri Balauing is a small world record holder

There are health problems, Balauing almost cannot move independently, he uses a cane. If you stand on your feet for a long time, they start to hurt a lot. Balauing dreams of successfully marrying a beautiful girl, living happily. He lives with relatives who are constantly nearby, take care of him, help him cope with everyday affairs.

Konstantin Morozov – the shortest Russian man

A man 62 cm tall lived in Russia, he had a rare disease – chondrodystrophy, but the man lived long enough, up to 73. In case of a disease, the bones are not hard, similar to cartilage, this does not allow one to move because of the high risk of fractures. Friends and colleagues remembered him as very courageous, good, with a great sense of humor, he steadfastly endured all the problems caused by the disease:

• broken arms and legs;
• pain in limbs, spine;
• the complexity of self-service.

Konstantin Morozov – the lowest Russian

He was respected, loved at work, Konstantin received an education, got a job – he lectured on history, took part in scientific projects, earned his living on his own. Morozov is a vivid example of a strong personality who managed to prove that disability is not a reason to be disappointed in life, to give up. Konstantin was happily married, he married a friend whom he met in a boarding school.

Jyoti Amji – popular and the smallest girl in the world

A little girl from India always dreamed of becoming popular, but she could not even think that she would succeed due to her excessive short stature. Jyoti got into the Guinness Book of Records, the whole world heard about her, Amji was invited to act in films. The miniature Indian woman is simply happy, lives with her family, studies, loves to spend time doing her favorite activities: looking at fashion magazines, making jewelry. Jyoti has a pretty appearance, always smiling, enjoying life. The height is only 62.8 cm, the parents took care of the comfort within the walls of their home. Amji has personal dishes, lockers for personal belongings, a crib.

Amji likes to go for a walk with her sister, but instead of sitting on a seat, she sits in a basket where she feels quite comfortable.

Jyoti Amji – small and talented

A girl was born with a diagnosis of achondroplasia, or dwarfism, a congenital ailment that affects the skeleton, which stops developing. It is impossible to cure the disease, but the Indian does not lose heart. After all, she has a happy, eventful life, the whole world knows about her. The short Indian woman managed to appear for a large number of print publications, give interviews about her life, the girl is invited to shoot television shows in Bollywood.

Khagendra Tapa Magar – the smallest man in the world

The guy remembered his coming of age for the rest of his life. It was on this day that the Nepalese was awarded a certificate from the Guinness Book of Records. He had been waiting for the event since he was 14, he was incredibly happy to receive such a status, to become famous all over the world. With a height of 67.08 cm, Khagendra became one of the shortest and smallest people in the world. At birth, he weighed only 600 grams, now the weight is 5.5 kg. Tapa Magar does not consider himself a kid at all, he is confident in himself and dreams of earning money with the help of fame, buying a big good house where he will settle his family.

Khagendra Tapa Magar – the smallest man

Short stature is not a hindrance to work, the guy goes to work every day, works in his father’s shop, helps sell fruit. Free time is also busy, the boy is actively involved in dancing, is a member of a dance group, goes to performances, concerts. Khagendra has a brother, who is completely normal with growth, the relatives of the Nepalese still wonder why this happened to the eldest child. However, Tapa Magar made history by starring in a documentary about himself and those as small as he is. True, according to a study by specialists, he tends to think in the manner of a three-year-old child, this is due to a congenital disease.

Bridgette Jordan is an active and petite woman

Short stature is not a problem for Bridgette, she has long come to terms with it and does not feel sad at all. Leads an active lifestyle, studies well, dances, is a member of a support group. Jordan has a brother who was also born with dwarfism but is taller than his sister. Bridgette – 68.5 cm, Bradley – 97 cm. They are very friendly, do everything together, try not to involve their parents to help.

Bridgette Jordan – active and smallest

People around are sure that a great love of life and cheerfulness made these tiny people strong. Together they entered the Guinness Book of Records as the world’s smallest brother and sister. Bradley does not lag behind Bridgette, loves sports very much, goes in for gymnastics, karate, even basketball.

Hatija Kocaman — a cheerful little woman

A young woman from Turkey differs from those around her by her uniquely small stature, her height is only 71 centimeters. Khatija weighs 6.8 kg, with such small dimensions she does not lose heart, she tries to live a normal life, but there are difficulties. From early childhood, the Turkish woman heard a lot of ridicule from others, which caused a lot of discomfort, gradually growing up, she stopped paying attention to the surprised looks of similar, jokes about dwarf dimensions. In fact, being so small is not so easy, Hatija, for example, cannot get a job because she is too short, she cannot do any housework.

Hatija Kocaman – the smallest woman

Kocaman was born a normal child, but after the age of four years, growth stopped, doctors conducted examinations, diagnosed dwarfism. The body with such a problem simply stops the production of growth hormone. Abnormally short stature led to health problems. A young woman has back pain, hip dysplasia was discovered. The Turkish woman is otherwise no different from others, she reads a lot, boasts erudition, and a great love for life. She dreams of traveling the world, finding her love.

Stacey Herald is the shortest female heroine

The story of an American surprised the whole world. A woman with a height of only 71 cm managed to give birth to three children. She was very lucky, she met a man who made her happy, cared and protected her very much. Despite the prohibitions and warnings of doctors, the family decided to give birth to offspring. Unfortunately, two newborns inherited the mother’s disease. In the house, Stacy’s husband installed devices that allowed his wife to easily take care of the kids, move around, and have access to the right things.

Stacey Gerald is a happy and little mother

An American has repeatedly admitted in interviews that she is very happy, loves her husband and children very much. They met their husband in a supermarket where an American woman worked. The height of the husband is as much as 175 cm, but this did not prevent them from falling in love with each other, creating a happy family. Of course, they were well aware of all the difficulties, but mutual support always gave strength. Sadly, Stacey passed away in 2018 due to complications from a congenital ailment. Her name remains in history, she is remembered as the smallest woman who managed to become a mother three times.

Lucia Zarate is a world-famous circus performer

In the 19th century, a 51 cm tall girl lived in Mexico, but she became a record holder not only because of this. Zarate at the age of seventeen weighed only 2 kg 100 g. Lucia was born with type 2 dwarfism, this diagnosis was made by specialists for the first time in the world to her. Presumably, she ceased to develop physically after a year of life. Today you can visit the house of Lucia, where the museum is equipped.

Lucia Zarate – the smallest and lightest in history

At 12, the girl moved to the USA, where she successfully worked in a street circus, participated in side shows, and performed at fair booths. Zarate lived with her parents, did not differ mentally from other people, was full-fledged, spoke English well. The artist was known outside the United States, nicknamed the amazing midget from Mexico. During the trip, the train on which Lucia was traveling got stuck in the mountains, the girl died of hypothermia.

Paulina Musters — very light and famous

Born in the Netherlands in the second half of the 19th century, she lived in a small village. She was 58 centimeters, weighed 3.86 kg, is listed in the Guinness Book of Records. Paulina began to appear in public at an early age, successfully and actively performed after graduating from a dance school, learning the art of an acrobat. Musters was known in Europe as Princess Pauline.

Paulina Musters – the shortest artist

The young artist even performed before Queen Emma of the Netherlands, the German Kaiser. People described her as well-mannered, polite, refined, calm personality. She traveled to several countries on tour, died at 18 from meningitis and pneumonia.

😮 The smallest person in the world, the smallest people in the world

These are small people. The smallest woman, the smallest man, the smallest person in Russia and in the world, those who got into the book of records for their unusual growth. You will learn about them, the very shortest and dwarf ones, from this article.

The smallest woman in the world

Her name is Jyoti Amge, she lives in Nagpur, India. When she was 18 years old, at the same time as she came of age, she noted her entry into the Guinness Book of Records as the smallest woman living at the present time. Jyoti is a dwarf suffering from achondroplasia, simply put, her limbs do not grow at all due to underdevelopment of articular and cartilage tissue. They stopped growing at the age of two years, and even before that they grew, to put it mildly, not very much.

The smallest woman in the world lives in India

This is what many dwarfs look like: an almost normal-sized head, not too small a body, and baby arms and legs. But Jyoti broke all records of short stature: her height is only 62.8 cm, and, according to doctors, she will always remain that tall. Before her, US citizen Bridget Jordan was recognized as the smallest dwarf, she is 7 centimeters taller than an Indian girl. But the tallest woman in the world, according to uznayvse.ru, was born in China. Her height is 236 cm.

The smallest people from the Guinness Book of Records

Since we are talking about the Guinness Book of Records, it is worth noting that entries are made almost constantly: every now and then a new record holder is found.

The smallest Chinese in the world

For example, as of 2010, the smallest person in the world was a Chinese named Pingping, 74 centimeters tall. Then he died, and the commission of the book of records took up the search. There was a Colombian named Hernandez, even shorter than Pingping – 70 centimeters.

After Hernandez, a Nepalese Khagendra was found, a couple of centimeters shorter. Then 60-centimeter young Filipino Baluinga. And in 2013, a new record holder was found, and not only in terms of growth, but it will be discussed below.

Baluing got into the Guinness Book of Records because of his small stature

Big and small people

When Pingping was still alive, he met the tallest inhabitant of the Earth at that time, Turk Sultan Kosen, almost two and a half meters tall. On the net you can find photos from this meeting, and you will not immediately understand that this is not photoshop.

The biggest and smallest man on Earth

This is not the only “meeting of contrasts” organized for the sake of shows and photographs. For example, the little Jyoti Amge, mentioned above, was photographed next to the Big Foot Man, whose leg is about the same as the height of the girl. In the photo it looks like the girl is a toy, and the leg is not real, but in reality it is not. After the images appeared on the Internet, there were even rumors that the two were dating and were going to get married. Most likely, this is not true, the difference is too great.

The smallest person in Russia

But the Russian smallest person, unfortunately, has already left this world. His name was Konstantin Morozov, he lived for 73 years, and each of them is worthy of a book. His type of dwarfism is chondrodystrophy, a disease in which a person does not have normal bones, but only cartilage.

The smallest man in Russia

All his life was a struggle, but positive and productive. When the boy was born with a weight of 300 grams, he was predicted to die immediately. But he survived, grew up (as far as possible – up to 62 centimeters), received an education and generally tried to lead the most fulfilling life. And he succeeded: he married happily, and benefited people with his work and activities. When Konstantin was alive, he told various stories and stories about himself in a very exciting way.

The smallest Russian was 62 cm tall.

For example, when he was a boy on his collective farm, he helped clean the inside of milk containers by crawling inside through the neck. He lectured adults on history and participated in various projects. Here is a vivid example of how disability and dwarfism did not become an obstacle in life for a strong-willed man.

The smallest person in the world

Above, we mentioned a new record holder among undersized, who was found by representatives of the Guinness Book of Records in 2013. At that time, he was already 72 years old, which in itself is a lot for dwarfs. A Nepalese named Chandra Bahadur Dangi has grown to just 54.6 centimeters, meaning he is more than 5 centimeters shorter than previous title holder Junri Baluing.

Chandra Bahadur Dangi today is considered the smallest person in the world

He surpassed our Konstantin Morozov, who, although he also lived for many years, was still taller. Thus, Dangi is not only the smallest, but also the oldest dwarf person in known history, a sort of master Yoda.

Probably, the Nepalese owes his longevity to his native places in the mountains to the west of Kathmandu, where he spent his whole life. The man lives with his brothers and does the usual local activities to earn a living, such as weaving national clothes and other handicrafts. With his marriage, unlike Morozov, it did not work out, and he no longer hopes. Having become famous, the Nepalese wants to use the opportunities that have arisen in order to explore his body.

The dwarf Chandra Bahadur Dangi dreamed of getting married, but could not get married

It turned out that the old man had never been to a doctor in his life, although he was essentially an invalid. This is what a correct psychological attitude and survival instincts mean: a person who is close to nature and does not really think about his injury lives as if it is just a given, and adapts to his environment as much as possible.

Stories of very small people: stories of Lilliputians | 74.ru

The heroes of our selection managed to make small growth their dignity

Photo: Vitaliy Kalistratov / Network of city portals (collage)

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The growth of the heroes of our today’s selection does not even reach 140 centimeters. Read 4 stories about how these guys took a big step in life, became famous and happy, despite the fact that everyone looks down on them.

Valeria works as a model and takes pictures herself

Photo: Alexander Oshchepkov / NGS.RU

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Valeria Panfilova’s height is only 130 centimeters, but this does not prevent her from being the soul of the company, falling in love, parting, falling in love again, living and work. Valeria says that everyone in her family is people of normal height, and the fact that she is such a baby is just an innate feature that, in general, does not interfere with living an ordinary life. On the contrary, it makes the girl more noticeable.

— It was not easy for my parents in the sense that I am a different person, people react to me. The most important thing is that they gave me everything as their child: upbringing, education. And to survive in society is my task, – says Valeria. – I don’t get hung up on the fact that I’m short, I’m so used to it that sometimes I forget that I’m different. Growth helps in the fact that I am easy to notice and remember. For example, if I go to some institution, the next time I come, they may already meet me there in a different way, more friendly, because they remember.

Valeria lives in Novosibirsk. The main income is from working as a model, sometimes she photographs herself. Unusual appearance is noticed by photographers, so the girl has many commercial offers, including for showrooms. Valeria admits that she refuses proposals that go beyond the bounds of decency, but in general she is not shy about frank images.

Men often write to Lera with an offer to meet

Photo: courtesy of Valeria Panfilova

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Men peck at candid shootings, but most of all Valeria likes to receive compliments from women – they are more sincere. Many girls, being shy, reserved and insecure, write to her that they admire her work and even imitate her.

Photo: courtesy of Valeria Panfilova

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Valeria’s main rule is not to let negativity through you and not to pay attention to what people say about you.

– The world is not without idiots, everywhere there is a narrow-minded person who wants to hurt you with your distinctive feature. The words “dwarf” and “midget” slipped through my life. It used to bother me, but over time it went away. People, if they are smart, understand that it is ugly not even in terms of mockery to use such words. Such people simply become unpleasant to me, it’s like shouting to a legless man that he has no legs. Such terrible behavior of a person causes disgust and, frankly, pity.

More about the girl is known on NGS.RU.

Four years ago Tasha entered the Book of Records as the smallest person in Russia

Photo: Tasha Mayakovskaya / Vk. com

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Another small model lives in Tyumen. Tasha Mayakovskaya is 38 years old, her height is only 85 centimeters. But she is not embarrassed by this circumstance, on the contrary, her small stature has become her virtue: the woman became the record holder of the Russian Book of Records three times as the smallest fashion model, actress and person. She starred in music videos, movies and even conducts trainings for long-legged beauties.

Tasha inherited abnormally short height from her uncle.

– He is taller than me. His height was 145 centimeters. He had problems with the skeleton, legs (feet). He even got around on crutches. Since childhood, I understood where this gene came from,” says Tasha.

A woman admits that since childhood it was not easy for her: peers teased her, so she had to walk only in the closed courtyard of her private house. Adults, however, were also not distinguished by tact.

— I was bypassed or, conversely, scrutinized. They didn’t even take me to school. The director insisted on home schooling. She said that everyone would offend me. At the time, I didn’t understand why this was happening to me. But my mother always told me that I was special. And she added that I was better than many, ”she recalls.

Once Tasha was walking down the street, and a passer-by, seeing her from behind, decided that she was a child who got lost. The stranger ran after our heroine and shouted something, and, having caught up, grabbed and was taken aback.

Today Tasha can be called a successful artist, she is confidently moving towards her childhood dream of becoming a singer. I even plan to go to Eurovision. True, when this will happen, she does not even undertake to predict yet. More about the heroine will be told on 72.RU.

Katya is 41 years old, and her height is only 82 centimeters

Photo: Artem Ustyuzhanin / E1. RU

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Ekaterina Popova lives in Yekaterinburg, her height is 82 centimeters. Her parents said that she was born very tiny, and the doctors even suggested that she be abandoned. But they did not refuse, Katya was taken home.

Katya has no definite diagnosis, so she simply calls herself Thumbelina.

– It was assumed that since dad was a military man, he dragged mom to the training ground, and there was radiation. Well, that’s the only option. Although I saw that in the world there are small ones like me, and none of them were dragged to the training ground. And there are dwarfs, midgets, they are all taller than me, they are huge compared to me, – Ekaterina smiles.

Katya did not go to kindergarten or school – she studied at home. Mom showed her how to cross-stitch, so for many years Katya was engaged in needlework. Now, due to vision problems, this business had to be abandoned, but the woman discovered acting talent in herself: she plays in the theater and starred in photo shoots.

Ekaterina becomes an ornament of any photo session

Photo: Alexander Ezhj OSIPOV

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— I don’t remember how old I was when I realized that I would not grow up, that it would always be like this – some priests around my eyes. I see it at the pop level. It was, of course, unpleasant. But I did a lot of work on myself. I was downtrodden, lethargic, rotten, and I realized that if I didn’t get out of this swamp, it would suck me in. I would have just moved out. Therefore, I took myself by the scruff of the neck and went to a psychologist, and she sent me to trainings, she said, we urgently need to adapt socially. And so I discovered a woman in myself and now I don’t know how to close it: I don’t have much money, but I want outfits, shoes, dresses, ”Katya laughs.

All these years Katya’s dad has been a help and support

org/Person”> Photo: provided by Ekaterina Popova

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Katya lives with her dad, her mom has a new family, but they keep in touch. Most of the time she does household chores, but not everything can be done by herself. She cannot pick up the intercom or close the door – everything is very high. She also cannot move on her feet for a long time – due to the fact that there is no intercartilaginous layer between the bones, movements bring pain, but Katya says that she is used to it.

Now Ekaterina is 41 years old. At the age of 30, she first saw the sea, then visited the Emirates, Turkey, Greece, India, Thailand. The next dream and goal is to fly in a hot air balloon over Cappadocia in Turkey. What else does our heroine dream about? E1.RU will tell.

Ilya is constantly offered interesting projects in clubs, shooting in shows and films (even for adults)

Photo: Elena Latypova / NGS55. RU

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In Omsk, Ilya Zolotarev is known for two reasons: small stature and big party-goer. Since 2007, the loudest parties cannot do without this guy – he works and relaxes in clubs.

— I’ve been working since I was 13 years old. I did not want to take money from my mother, but I am not afraid of work. In the ninth grade, she told me that either I repeat the year and study well, or I start providing for my own needs. And what were the needs then, I think everyone understands: cigarettes, alcohol, girls, – Ilya smiles.

Until the age of 17, he had complexes – Ilya was worried about attention to himself in public places. There were even thoughts of suicide, but with age it passed. Now the reaction of strangers does not matter to him, Ilya admits.

– I once performed at a club and saw that a short guy came with a company. I still pinned that they found a replacement for me. I approached this boy to get acquainted, I wanted to take a picture with him, but he refused. It was evident that he was very uncomfortable, that he was very afraid of something. But all people are different. I’m fine here. The world around me does not scare me, – shared Omsk.

Ilya is a noble Omsk womanizer, he never had any problems communicating with girls

Photo: courtesy of Ilya Zolotarev

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He does not consider the word “dwarf” to be offensive, and he does not complain at all about the attitude of other people and the state.

— The state helps, I’m not complaining. And the pension increases every year. She’s enough. The only problem is that people in Russia need to confirm their disability. Those who don’t have a leg need to prove that they didn’t have it, and I need to prove that I haven’t grown up, ”says Ilya.

Ilya does not consider the word “dwarf” offensive in his direction. There are no special devices in his apartment either.

– If I need to get something, I just put a chair and take it. If you want to eat, you can reach the plate, – the guy laughs.

Once Ilya was offered to act in a film for adults, but he refused. The hero told NGS55.RU about this and the most outrageous parties, read this story here.

“Big” and “little” people. Part one – analytical portal POLIT.RU

“Polit.ru” together with “ Society.ru ” continues the rubric “Russian questions”. What for? Every living thing is constantly tested by this question, and the answer is not “cleverness-formulations”, but lively sincere answers. If people answer indifferently, then there is a reason to ask. And they answer surprisingly sincerely, sometimes even scary.

Well, the specific, small “goal” is this: to understand whether art has something to do with life, or are all the concepts it produces just fun? One can talk for a long time about destruction, transavant-garde, contextuality-narrativity, but the questions remain: what to do? The most up-to-date of all time.

And who should do it.

In general, we are trying to find out whether the inventions of great literature have something to do with life: a big and a small man.

K. Sutyagin

GEORGY VASILEVICH, director of the Mikhailovskoe Pushkin Museum-Reserve (Pushkinogorye)

Do you agree with the statement that there are “big” people and Or is it just literary turnover?

Without a doubt, there are people big and small. Height and weight determine clothing sizes, including tuxedos, club jackets, and ball gowns. This is assuming that we are still going out into the world from the “Gogol overcoat”. But quite recently, during the 41st Pushkin Poetry Festival, the actors of the “Young Man’s Theater” from the city of Izhevsk and the artist Igor Shaimardanov in a poetic meadow in the village of Mikhailovsky brought out a new “breed” of people from … Pushkin’s tailcoat. Its size was impressive: the 500th, probably! Among this, Pushkin’s tailcoat people, there were no “little” people. Bold and timid, smiling and serious, fat and thin, remembering Pushkin’s poems by heart and not learning them at all, different, but “big”, great, significant, unique and irreplaceable.

There is no doubt that people are not equal. Inequality has always been and will always be a test of the heart and a reason for the self-determination of equally free people. After the “little man”, Jesus of Nazareth, we live, it seems to me, in a “new democracy, the democracy of the Kingdom of God.” It is based on the free will of a person to accept or not accept the Creator, to follow or not to follow the path that is open to Him. We have been given, if you like, a “new constitution” of mankind, originally greater than all the declarations of the rights of man and citizen. Again, we are free to make decisions and act before God as we see fit. The consequences of these decisions are our personal and social life. In this freedom we are all equal to each other, because we are equal in Christ. Neither the collar of the Russian bureaucratic overcoat of the Pushkin century, nor the brand of a modern car (. .. the size of the capital, the sophistication of the yacht, the number of rooms in the palace-castle, the time on TV, the gloss of the magazine, etc.) will not cancel this Equality.

There is an opinion that a “great person” is one who realizes himself as such, feels his calling and strives to correspond to it, great from birth. Why do you agree or disagree with this opinion?

This concept of “great man” is interesting. Tsar Herod the Great, the great Napoleon Bonaparte, the great Lenin, the great Inquisitor… Their greatness is measured by the shed blood of others. Jesus Christ, Janusz Korczak, Alexander Pushkin, Antoine de Saint-Exupery, Raphael, Mozart, St. Sergius of Radonezh… These names are full of duty, personal sacrifice, divine love. No, it seems to me, people mediocre from birth.
Every person who comes into life carries within himself a spark of God and the consciousness of a voluntary sacrifice as a necessity for his fulfillment. The one who voluntarily takes on the work and hardships of this life, gives himself to others in the service of his talent, shines with another “sunlight”. He who sacrifices others to his talent also shines, but with the light of sunset. It’s not about experiencing your talent, not about feeling and realizing your vocation, but about how this talent is affirmed: is it your personal sacrifice to humanity, or are you ready to sacrifice another instead of yourself.
Here is the literary Salieri in Pushkin’s “Mozart and Salieri”, asserting his superiority and greatness with the help of poison).

There is also an opinion that circumstances make great. A “big” person is a “small” person who suddenly decided on a great deed. Why do you agree or disagree with this opinion?

The writer O’Henry has a story called “The Roads We Take”. One of his heroes in a dream sees himself as a raiding hero, a train robber carrying a large amount of money. A successful robbery, a path with prey that two “accomplice-friends” make, a horse of one of them that broke his leg, the need to escape from the chase and … the “philosophy” of choice. Pointing a pistol at his comrade, who has lost his horse, the bandit-philosopher wonders what would have happened if he had chosen a different path. We get the answer at the moment of awakening this hero, a prosperous entrepreneur, who is awakened by his old friend, asking for a deferral of payment, due to the loss of a fortune in an era of great economic crisis. The answer is a refusal to a friend. Suicide of a former friend. The realization that it’s not about the roads we choose, but about what drives our choice, in our heart. Circumstances are only a way of manifesting our essence, only the realization of a choice: to sacrifice oneself or another. A great man is one in whom the willingness to sacrifice others for oneself is less than the willingness to sacrifice oneself. One of the priests, our contemporaries, formulates it this way: “The father of all sins is fear, and their mother is laziness.”

Can you name examples of great and not great people? Are great people needed or not today? Why?

Well, let this be an example from the “controversial literature”. An example of a great person is Harry Potter’s mother, who saved her son with her love and instilled in him immunity to evil, giving him the strength to resist evil. For this reason alone, the book can be put into the hands of children without fear. It teaches fidelity, kindness, personal heroism, capable of inspiring one to sacrifice in the name of saving another person, to the readiness to give one’s life “for one’s friends.”
Today in Russia, more than before, there is a need for people whose “greatness” consists in the honest and non-possessive performance of their duties before God and people. The responsibility of a person in power, which is always the hardest test because of the possibility of replacing personal sacrifice by offering the lives of other people on the altar, is the battlefield on which the future of our Fatherland is being decided. Here, in this battle, great characters, lives and destinies are forged and destroyed. And every day, along with fresh news, brings examples of true greatness and regrettable insignificance. The question of “great” and “small” people is decided every minute in the heart and mind of every person. On this, let’s stop.

LEV PIROGOV, critic (Moscow)

Do you agree with the statement that there are “big” people and there are “small” people, or is this just a literary turn of phrase?

Yeah, I agree. “Little people” are those who are many. And “big” – which is not enough. That’s all – if we ignore moral assessments, that is, if we do not talk about whether Hitler deserves to be called great.

As far as literature is concerned, everything here is “a little bit the other way around”: say, Akaky Akakiyevich Bashmachnikov, snatched from a million of his kind, despite his typological name, turns into a “big man”. And some “cavalier of the Golden Star”, a war hero and chairman of a collective farm, having dissolved in the mediocrity of the author and in dozens of opportunistic imitations, on the contrary, becomes a small person. Although everything in life remains the same: Akaky Akakievich is small, no matter how well we know him and no matter how much we love him, and the “cavalier” is big, even if we don’t give a damn about him.

There is an opinion that a “great person” is one who recognizes himself as such, feels his calling and strives to live up to it. Why do you agree or disagree with this opinion?

I suspect that “the realization of a great destiny” binds life energy and spiritual power rather than releases them. The most significant thoughts come to mind on the run, by chance, and not when you sit at the table and push. Great battles are started and won also “accidentally”, because “it was necessary”, “otherwise it is impossible”, well, “there was a nail in the forge”, and not in order to “win a great battle”. However, this is the opinion of a small person. It’s hard to judge an elephant by holding on to its tail.

There is also an opinion that circumstances make you great. A “big” person is a “small” person who suddenly decided on a great deed. Why do you agree or disagree with this opinion?

Circumstances do not move one to act – they are the same for millions of people, but only one person commits an act. I think it comes from within, not from outside. Rather, it even comes from above.

In the end, we are all born small, we just grow up in different ways. Who is inside, who is in breadth, and who is up. You can also grow to the side or down. And you can first like this, then that way – the tree becomes winding from this, such trees are especially interesting to artists. People too.

Can you name examples of great and not great people? Are great people needed or not today? Why?

I’m not ready to give examples – “I can smell it, but I can’t substantiate it.” Leo Tolstoy doesn’t seem like a big man to me – he climbed into other people’s lives, taught faith, but he couldn’t cope with his own life and faith – he ended badly: pride got stuck, he became disillusioned with writing, became embittered at his family. And Dostoevsky does not seem to, although I silently take off my hat before him. Dostoevsky is a medium, not “on his own”. God rewarded him with great suffering and great thoughts – and who played roulette? . . Or Father John of Kronstadt – it doesn’t seem, although what right do I have to judge? The church canonized him among the saints… And so, in whom you don’t dig, you won’t show up. Maybe because every great person is only a medium, and not “on his own.” Only God is great. People are weak and susceptible to temptation.

And Russia needs big people, Prophets, because Russia, in my opinion, is dying. Russia needs faith – it makes nations great.

SERGEY SAFONOV, artist, gallery owner, journalist (Moscow)

Do you agree with the statement that there are “big” people and there are “small” people, or is it just a literary turnover?

Rather, I agree. We are used to stewing inside our own circle, but extreme circumstances – in my case it was military service after college or, say, creative trips to Dagestan – can open up a completely different human existence, which I did not suspect before. I won’t say that in everyday life there are so many immaculately “big” people around, but absolutely “small” ones don’t attract either.

There is an opinion that a “great person” is one who recognizes himself as such, feels his calling and strives to live up to it. Why do you agree or disagree with this opinion?

I know people with high self-esteem – for example, among art critics. But one must also give an account of who is “chief” and who is simply accustomed to consider himself as such. It is unlikely, for example, that the artist Illarion Golitsyn considered himself a “great man,” but everyone who spoke with him knew that he was a piece of man.

There is also an opinion that circumstances make you great. A “big” person is a “small” person who suddenly decided on a great deed. Why do you agree or disagree with this opinion?

If question number 3 is posed so pretentiously, it means that I did not fully understand and did not accurately answer question number 1. It seems to me whether “big” or “small” depends not on force majeure, but on personal strategy and embodiments: education, worldly and creative guidelines – for example, decency, etc. You won’t get smarter by changing circumstances.

Can you name examples of great and not great people? Are great people needed or not today? Why?

Even with the skepticism poured into today’s Russian air, I will say: they are needed. In addition, it is necessary for the society to realize the presence of such characters in it: the old expression “There is no prophet in his own country” is being realized today with no less scope than before. It is necessary to change this, pompously speaking, in order to improve the self-perception of the nation (what was previously called the “community of Soviet people”, only now they are “Russian”).

VLADIMIR NAZANSKY, State Art Gallery (Novosibirsk)

Do you agree with the statement that there are “big” people and there are “small” people, or is this just a literary turn of phrase?

Of course, this is a literary turnover, reflecting certain realities – social, political, cultural, spiritual. Basically, “big” people are born, but sometimes they become. The “big” person is a psychosomatic reality. Often a “big” person finds appropriate expression in the role of a big person. The Gerasim complex is the exception rather than the rule. Those born and raised first are the first everywhere – in the zone, in politics, science, sports, business, etc.

There is an opinion that a “great person” is one who recognizes himself as such, feels his calling and strives to live up to it. Why do you agree or disagree with this opinion?

As a rule, a “great person” feels his own scale, strives to match it, searches for his vocation, and sometimes finds it. Sadder in situations of “false pregnancy” associated with reading the biographies of great people. In the safe fields of literature and art, the fate of epigones and graphomaniacs is tragicomic. But not all fields are harmless. “Am I a trembling creature, or have I the right,” Raskolnikov asks hysterically, who had all the greatness to hack two old women, and then still repent of his deed. But how many unrepentant! Young Blyumkin and Furmanov, shooting others, began to feel like superhumans. The greatest abominations are committed by nonentities, overwhelmed by big ideas. Khmer Rouge, Mujahideen, security officers, Nazis, Jesuits, inquisitors – their name is legion.

A great man acts directly and majestically, he says – “I’m coming at you.”

There is also an opinion that circumstances make great. A “big” person is a “small” person who suddenly decided on a great deed. Why do you agree or disagree with this opinion?

Without a certain internal combination of qualities, a “small” person will not become a “big”. It makes sense to talk about unmanifested, unclaimed, “dormant” Largeness. One should also distinguish between real human size, talent and just fame, seasonal popularity. Yet it must be admitted that there are great roles and great characters corresponding to these roles. The fate of a “little” person in the role of a big personality is tragic. It is even worse when a small person of a cozy home format, due to diligence or origin, plays an incommensurably large role, like, for example, Nicholas II, or Gorbachev.

Can you name examples of great and not great people? Are great people needed or not today? Why?

Great people are not always visible. Alexander I, Napoleon, Kutuzov, Pushkin. Seraphim of Sarov were contemporaries. Everyone knew the first four, almost no one knew Sarovsky. Pushkin did not know about the existence of Seraphim of Sarov. Seraphim of Sarov did not read Pushkin. None of the Europeans really knew anything about the Dalai Lamas, just as we do not know anything about the personalities of the Filipino healers.
In our time in the Russian provinces there are great poets, artists, thinkers who the general public does not yet know about (and, perhaps, will never know).
Fame is not the main indicator. About the Novosibirsk thinker Kondratyuk, who published in the early 30s. a booklet with mathematical calculations for flights to the moon (shot in the late 30s) was remembered in Russia only after the Americans told how these calculations helped them. But who will tell about the Novosibirsk artist Nikolai Gritsyuk, about the Krasnoyarsk artist Andrey Pozdeev, about the Novosibirsk poets Vladimir Svetlosanov, Stanislav Mikhailov, Igor Loschilov, Yulia Pivovovarova? They are little known, of little demand, but this does not reduce them, does not cancel the meaning of what they have done, are doing.
But still it is difficult to get rid of the feeling that the time of great artists, poets, philosophers, scientists is passing. It’s time for standardization and format.
Unit of civilization – average standard person with predictable behavior.
Great people, bright, unpredictable, uncomfortable, are gradually dying out as useless. People tame and domesticate them, as once horses, cows and elephants. But every civilization comes to a crisis and perishes like Egypt, Sumer, Rome, or, if great people survived, rebuilds and lives like China or Japan. Are great people needed today? Of course. Tomorrow may be too late. Serious trials are ahead of humanity – environmental upheavals, wars for resources, new diseases, religious fanaticism.

EVGENY DAVYDOV, cyclist (Korolev)

Do you agree with the statement that there are “big” people and there are “small” people, or is it just a literary turn of phrase?

I agree.
A big one is someone who looks at others like an adult looks at children, sees them behind their whims.
Small – offended person.

There is an opinion that a “great person” is one who realizes himself as such, feels his calling and strives to live up to it. Why do you agree or disagree with this opinion?

No, you never know what someone thinks about himself.
And why is “1” “big” and then “great”?

There is also an opinion that circumstances make great. A “big” person is a “small” person who suddenly decided on a great deed. Why do you agree or disagree with this opinion?

One act is usually not enough, except perhaps the last one.
The little man needs to grow up at least a little, otherwise he may completely disappear.

Can you name examples of great and small people? Are great people needed or not today? Why?

I think o.A. Men was big.
“Great” people themselves are found as needed.
Now they are not needed, now everyone is earning money.

MIKHAIL ZAKHAROV, columnist for Polit.ru

Do you agree with the statement that there are “big” people and there are “small” people, or is this just a literary turn of phrase?

There is a great art to say that there are just people, but there are no great or, on the contrary, small people in nature. That the problem of “greatness” is a literary category. But that would be the end of the conversation. But the problem, as usual, is much more complicated. They call a big boss a “big” person. That is, some reflection on the topic of opposition “big-small” exists in the mass consciousness.

The opposition “big-small” is not exactly the same as the opposition “great-small”, by the way. “Great” – the word will be stronger, with some sort of reference to “eternity” and, of course, publicity, media. So, a “big” historical figure (artist, writer, rock musician) is still “great” or “small”, but a locksmith can be a “great master of his craft”, but the phrase “great locksmiths Ivanov and Feldman” is already cuts the ear. Greatness, apparently, is assessed only at a distance (a locksmith is a figure from everyday life) and after a certain amount of time has passed.

There is an opinion that a “great person” is one who recognizes himself as such, feels his calling and strives to live up to it. Why do you agree or disagree with this opinion?

Disagree, and for a variety of reasons. First of all, because “greatness” is an “external” evaluation category. Many graphomaniacs consider themselves great writers (and, concurrently, great people), feel their calling and strive to live up to the title of a great writer. The same is with thinkers (Vasisualy Lokhankin, of course, a comical image, but in the meantime), artists or, excuse me, politicians.

There is also an opinion that circumstances make you great. A “big” person is a “small” person who suddenly decided on a great deed. Why do you agree or disagree with this opinion?

Hegel generally believed that history is made by people “inspired” by Zeitgeist. Circumstances affect everyone and everything. If the First World War and the February Revolution had not happened, Vladimir Ilyich Ulyanov would have been a mediocre fighter against the regime, and even “banned” in addition. Avon as the circumstances developed – it is difficult to believe that Vladimir Ilyich decided on a certain act, which caused the First World War. And upon arrival in the raging Petrograd, Vladimir Lenin did enough of these things to call him “great”, with all the ensuing connotations (“saved the country” or “ruined Russia and plunged it into 70-year darkness”).

Can you name examples of great and not great people? Are great people needed or not in modern society? Why?

I remember that I had to take part in a small test of history students, during which it was necessary to name three historical figures (Russian and world). According to the results (and this, from my point of view, is symptomatic), several trends were visible. First, among the “great” there were practically no religious figures (with the exception of Christ, who, as is clear, is considered “not quite human” by a certain part of humanity). This is most likely a sign of a locally historical (cultural, even, sorry, civilizational) order, and somewhere in Guatemala or Poland, the Pope of Rome would still take his rightful place among the greats.

Second – among the “great” were mostly politicians with an extremely ambiguous reputation (the most popular figures were Stalin, Peter I, Ivan the Terrible, Lenin, Hitler). Judging by the assessment of that local audience, greatness in the mass consciousness is present primarily where there is both a “golden” and a “black” myth (a necessary but not sufficient condition), and both myths are widely known.

Significantly fewer people were named. But the figures of the “humanitarian sphere” (like Mahatma Gandhi, locally appointed as the main interlocutor of Vladimir Putin) or scientists (with the possible exception of Einstein) were not at all.

And the third – all the “great ones” have already died. How is it a “great contemporary”? He eats, drinks, and others, excuse me, copes with natural needs. If the “death of history” happens, then new “great ones” may not be needed. And if not, then their appearance is inevitable.

As for the “small”. Well, here I am.

BORIS DOLGIN, deputy chief editor of Polit.ru

Do you agree with the statement that there are “big” people and there are “small” people, or is this just a literary turn of phrase?

It is difficult to agree with the statement about the “objective” existence or non-existence of great / small people (as well as books, films, paintings), but, of course, there is a fundamental possibility of using such a classification (along with many others).

I don’t have the phrase “great man” in my active dictionary (except when quoting). At the same time, since it is quite common, I, like those who use it, find myself obliged to develop some interpretation in order to interpret the statements of other people. That is, in a certain way, to relate to certain attempts to classify people using the sign of “greatness”.

As in the case of books, we certainly will not be mistaken if we say that for every culture / subculture there is a historical, and for some, a modern canon. Only, in this case, it will no longer be “great literature” (in the understanding of this culture / subculture), but a phenomenon that is much more difficult to define – “a great person”. More difficult to define, if only because, with all the diversity of literature, a person is much more diverse. And in their studies, and in their aspirations, and in the methods of evaluation.

There is one more fundamental difference – books are called “great” by people, but people also call people great. That is, the subject and object of classification belong to the same set of potentially classified.

Having slipped from “great literature” to “great man” past “great writer”, we missed the question of whether “industry” greatness is determined by the greatness of individual products (“great books”, . ..), the resulting greatness of them, or by the great “industry” behavior (“literary behavior” …). And the next question: “a great person” is a person who was recognized as “great” in at least some area (a great writer, a great turner, a great doctor …), recognized as “great” in more than a certain number of areas, recognized as great by some resultant, or recognized as “great” by his own human behavior (“great man II”)?

The simplest option is that the set of great people will be the union of the sets of “great playwrights”, “great financiers”, “great grandmothers”, etc. There is, however, a suspicion that, with a sufficiently scrupulous analysis, such a set will turn out to be congruent to the set of people of all times and peoples.

An attempt to agree on the number of areas in which a person must be “great” in order to be considered truly “great” is unlikely to lead to anything worthwhile. And an attempt to find the resulting one requires postulating the existence of an “anti-greatness” that can partially compensate or even block some industry “greatness”.

And a completely separate question: what to do with such an “industry” as actually human life? Should it be placed next to the sphere of literature or turning? Is it possible to speak of the “great” in everyday life, in relations with other people as a “great person II”? Isn’t “anti-greatness” in this area an absolute block for recognizing someone not just as a “great photographer”, but as a “great person” (then there will be no question of “industries” that are obviously negative in this culture, for example: “great executioner”, “great dictator”, “great serial killer”…)? And isn’t it really meaningful to identify the “great man” and “great man II”, spitting on all the “industry” indicators?

Another set of problems is the mechanism of “greatness”, that is, the correlation of the canon revealed by this “great man” with the canon that existed before him. Is “Great” the most closely related to canon (and as such becomes canonical)? “Great” – is he who creates his own canon, obviously different from the existing one? Is the “Great” one who supposedly renounces the canons altogether, that is, creates his own canon, but does not know how to comprehend it? “Great” – is it someone who makes others change their idea of ​​the canons? All these definitions can correspond to the same person, or they can be completely different.

There is an opinion that a “great person” is one who recognizes himself as such, feels his calling and strives to live up to it. Why do you agree or disagree with this opinion?

People define a person as a “great” person. One of these people is the person himself.

The position of a classifier does not necessarily mean reducing oneself to “smallness”, nor does it necessarily mean exalting oneself to “greatness”. The announcement of certain historical characters as “great” is typical for other historical characters claiming “greatness” who are trying to build a genealogy of their “greatness”, the same with writers, there are attempts to identify themselves as “great” to find fellow “greatnesses” nearby. , in other areas, considering them not as competitors, but as “brothers-captains”.

At the same time, the awareness / declaration of oneself as a “great person” much more often indicates a mental illness or simply human inadequacy of the classifier than an understanding of one’s value within the currently existing “industry” value system.

At the same time, the attitude towards conformity to a certain canon of “greatness” can, in one of the above-mentioned understandings, lead to this “greatness”.

There is also an opinion that “circumstances make a man great. A great one is one who has suddenly done a great deed.” Why do you agree or disagree with this opinion?

“Make” a person “great” by the people who define him in this way. The question may be what factors of a person’s activity / behavior influence the fact that he is defined in this way (see the answer to the first question, taking into account the variability of the culture of determinants), or what factors influence a person in such a way that his activity / behavior are such that they are defined as “great”.

The last question can be safely answered: everything. Because the formation of any person is influenced in its own way by each circumstance of his life, gradually forming a human individuality, which, as it forms, interacts with these circumstances. Another issue is that the scale factors will be different – for all impacts and all people.

Can you name examples of great and not great people? Can one person be both great and small at the same time? For example?

Since, as already mentioned above, the phrase “great people” is not in my active vocabulary, I can only, based on the understanding demonstrated above, give examples of obviously “not great” people – Stalin, Chikatilo, Qin Shi Huangdi …

Great and it is very easy for a person to be small in various “branches”, probably all people are like that. It would be better for the great artist Leonid Utyosov never to write poetry, and for the great poet Boris Pasternak not to speak on socio-political topics, etc.

It is even simpler to be both a “great man” in one sense and a “little man” in another sense – so simple that even examples are superfluous.

Being “great” and “small” within the same understanding is possible either if the author of the understanding suffers from schizophrenia or does not suffer from formal logic.

Are great people needed or not today? Why?

Great people are “needed today” – in the sense in which one sometimes needs summer or night. Culture (in the broadest sense) works with canons. One of the personifications of these canons is what can be called “great people” – moreover, in different understandings (isolating the actual mechanism of “great people” from the mechanism of canons, as shown above, is quite problematic, which is why I usually don’t do this) .

Great people are “not needed today” in the sense that culture will always work with canons (and in this sense “today” lasts forever) regardless of the opinion of those who argue about their necessity or uselessness.

OLEG MUDRAK, doctor of philological sciences, linguist (Moscow)

Here, again, the chip that was about literature is repeated. The concept of “great” itself is important, and this is a cultural thing.

There is also an opinion that “circumstances make a man great. A great one is one who has suddenly done a great deed.” Why do you agree or disagree with this opinion?

One deed is not judged, but deeds (pl.). “Great Alexander Matrosov”?

Can you name examples of great and small people? Are great people needed or not today? Why?

Wonderful “needed or not” point. Answer: as long as there is a culture, they are and will be. This is an accompanying characteristic of culture, regardless of the desires of individuals entering the culture.

ALEXEY VORONIN, musician, writer (Moscow)

Do you agree with the statement that there are “big” people and there are “small” people, or is it just a literary turn?

Depending on what is meant by “big man” and “small”. In certain circles, a BO is a person in power, wealthy, influential, etc. and the MCH is the one who goes to the service and saves up for his overcoat. And in some ways they are right – the difference in position is actually great.
You can call a small person who lives without a special purpose in everyday worries, and big – someone who strives for something more. One thing is clear – everyone is equal before the Lord, but among people everyone is different, no one is the same.

There is an opinion that a “great person” is one who recognizes himself as such, feels his calling and strives to live up to it. Why do you agree or disagree with this opinion?

I do not agree with this opinion. If this were true, most great people would be found in a madhouse. I think that a great person is, first of all, a great hard worker. And the main thing that he feels is that he got a huge and heavy cross, but at the same time he feels that he can do it.

There is also an opinion that “circumstances make a man great. A great one is one who has suddenly done a great deed.” Why do you agree or disagree with this opinion?

If a coward, finding himself in a hopeless situation, commits a bold act, one can probably say that he has become a great person. Was it done voluntarily or under the influence of circumstances? I think that the will of a person is still a determining force. If a person does not have the mental strength to commit an Act, he will not commit it under any circumstances. In life, there is always an opportunity NOT to perform a feat.

Can you name examples of great and small people? Are great people needed or not today? Why?

In art – all geniuses, they are great people. In politics – Pyotr Stolypin, Winston Churchill, de Gaulle. In science, great people are countless. Russia needs a great man – a politician, and not one, but a whole galaxy of great ones, one cannot cope (please do not confuse with the stereotypes of the mass consciousness such as “strong hand”, as well as with the self-styled “fathers of the peoples”).

ALEXEY SHIRONIN, “Polit.ru” (Moscow)

Do you agree with the statement that there are “big” people and there are “small” people, or is it just a literary turn of phrase?

I agree. I immediately remember the “man in an overcoat”, but in life there are a lot of them.

There is an opinion that a “great person” is one who realizes himself as such, feels his calling and strives to live up to it. Why do you agree or disagree with this opinion?

I think that there are different great ones who strive to become them and who are considered as such by those around them. That is, it is self-promotion or the desire for some kind of goal.

There is also an opinion that circumstances make great. A “big” person is a “small” person who suddenly decided on a great deed. Why do you agree or disagree with this opinion?

Rather, “big” is a psychological warehouse. And since psychology is genes, it all depends on the parents.

Can you name examples of great and small people? Are great people needed or not in modern society? Why?

For example, S.P. Korolev.
They are always needed – in order to push forward those who are more pleased to be “small”. Sometimes it’s for their own good. Sometimes – on the contrary.

Discuss article

Continuation should be continued

[The design used a fragment of the picture of Konstantin Sutyagin]

your life depends on what growth you are

9 Octor

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  The author of the photo, Getty

  Height is a biological given, which a person, in general, cannot change, but which can influence his destiny in an unexpected way. Correspondent
  BBC Future explores the relationship between human height and achievement in areas ranging from love to wealth and life expectancy.

  Money and power

  The current US President Barack Obama is much shorter than his famous predecessor Abraham Lincoln, whose height was 193 cm, but 8 cm taller than the average American.

  A recent study supports the hypothesis that taller presidential candidates tend to get more votes.

  (More BBC Future articles in Russian)

  But even outside the presidential race, tall people are seen as more powerful, healthier and smarter and more likely to be appointed to competitive positions. Their income level is also higher than the rest.

  Possibly, height is subconsciously associated with “greatness” and “influence” – two essential qualities of a true leader.

  In addition, height depends on nutrition in childhood – thus, it can indicate a person’s social affiliation, which, in turn, largely determines the level of his education and prosperity.

  Of course, not all great people were giants. British Prime Minister Winston Churchill and US black rights activist Martin Luther King had powerful charisma despite their small stature.

  But where people are met by clothes, tall people often have an advantage.

  Verdict: Being tall often increases your chances of success.

  Sex appeal

  Tall, stately people often seem more attractive. Numerous studies confirm that taller men and women are generally considered more beautiful.

  Interestingly, a person’s height can be judged by his face – a portrait photo on a dating site will not hide the true size of the body.

  Image copyright, Getty

  Image caption,

  Tall people often fail in bed (and not only because they always pull the covers over themselves)

  apparently, luck is not so strong – in general, men tend to give preference to ladies of medium height.

  Even for a man, tall stature can turn into trouble if it draws special attention of others to his other virtues.

  According to a recent study, the taller a man is, the more importance women attach to the size of his penis when evaluating his overall attractiveness.

  Perhaps handsome men arouse more hope in women, and they judge especially harshly if their expectations are not met. In the end, the size of the legs is not always an indicator of sexuality.

  Verdict: At first glance, on the love front, luck often smiles on the high, but sometimes victory turns into defeat.

  Sports

  One glance at a basketball court or a running track is enough to understand that long legs give athletes an incomparable advantage. They allow you to run longer distances faster and reach more distant objects.

  What’s more, in team sports, taller players can look over the opponent’s head, making it easier for them to pass the ball.

  Compact dimensions also have their advantages. The nerve signal sent from the brain reaches the limbs faster, allowing for faster reactions and increased flexibility, essential qualities for some types of martial arts, according to the experience of Chinese-American action star Jackie Chan.

  Image copyright, Getty

  Image caption,

  A large body may have more brute strength but less dexterity movements”, which helps them excel in gymnastics, snowboarding, diving, and skating and skiing.

  Verdict: Draw. It all depends on the sport.

  Clumsiness

  The human body is somewhat like a car: purely mechanical – the larger it is, the more difficult it is to slow down and avoid a collision.

  In addition, since such a body develops more acceleration, the collision is more painful for it. And, of course, the lower the growth, the lower the height you have to fall.

  Image copyright, Getty

  Image caption,

  Is it true that big people are more likely to be clumsy and have accidents?

  According to some reports, a 20% difference in height gives twice as much kinetic energy when falling (to see this principle in action, just watch a video featuring English comedian Miranda Hart).

  This may explain the fact that tall people are much more likely to be injured during their lifetime: for example, women over 173 cm tall are twice as likely to have a hip fracture as women taller than 158 cm. more susceptible to injury than tall ones.

  Life expectancy and health

  The municipality of Villagrande Strisaili on the island of Sardinia is known for having the largest population of Europeans over a hundred years old.

  This longevity can be attributed to many factors (including Mediterranean cuisine and an active social life). But one of the reasons, perhaps, lies in the fact that people live there mostly undersized – the average height of a man of the oldest generation is about 160 cm.

  Image caption,

  Is being tall bad for your health? There is evidence that each additional centimeter shortens life expectancy by 0.7 years

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  Amazing. Healthier children tend to grow taller – on this basis, it would be logical to consider height as a good indicator of general physical development.

  But if you take into account other factors, such as nutrition and health care, it turns out that taller people have a harder time aging.

  For example, the larger a person, the more cells they have in their body, which increases the risk of developing mutations that can cause cancer.

  In addition, a larger body burns more energy, which leads to the accumulation of toxic waste products that negatively affect overall well-being.

  The result of such exposure may be a reduction in life expectancy. So, among the centenarians of Sardinia, the tallest lived about two years less than their short neighbors.

  Another study, which involved 1.3 million Spaniards, showed that each additional centimeter reduces life expectancy by 0.7 years.

  Verdict: Short stature is the key to a long life.

  Happiness

  Despite these medical risks, being tall isn’t all that bad. Judging by the results of a number of studies, the value of indicators of happiness and satisfaction with life is directly proportional to growth.

  This is probably because being tall opens up more career opportunities and makes more money, so life is a little easier for tall people.

  Verdict: The taller a person is, the more satisfied he is with life

  Of course, all these factors are just general ratios. There are many exceptions to the stated rules.

  We all participate in a kind of biological lottery, but the odds seem to be evenly distributed, regardless of body size.

  Perhaps all these statistical calculations only confirm the old maxim: fate is determined not by the size of the body, but by its activity. Sooner or later, we still come to this conclusion.

  Read
  the original of this article in English is available on the website
  BBC Future .

  How do the smallest people live and did any of them manage to grow up?

  Growth is a biological given, which a person cannot change without special operations. At the same time, this givenness can influence fate in an unexpected way. Today we have collected stories of abnormally short people. After all, everything that surrounds us: housing layout, furniture, plumbing, equipment for social services offices, medical institutions, public transport, etc., is designed for the average person. How can you live if you are little more than a cat?

  Dwarfs and midgets – what’s the difference?

  Lilliputians are people who inherited from their parents a serious disease of one of the parts of the brain – the pituitary gland. It is responsible for many different functions of the body, primarily for human growth, as it produces the hormone necessary for this. People with this pathology are very tiny: their height is 40–90 cm, and their weight is 10–15 kg. At the same time, they retain the proportions of the body, they just look like children with adult faces.

  Dwarfs are different. Their appearance is the result of a number of diseases that stop growth in childhood. The most common are dystrophic dwarfs, they are similar to midgets in that their pituitary gland ceases to produce growth hormone in the required amount due to illness.

  Chandra Bahadur Dangi – 54.6 cm

  This Nepalese village grandfather was not only the smallest in the world, but also the lightest. With a height of 54.6 cm, he weighed only 12 kg. Fame came to him only at the age of 72.

  Dangi never married and lived with his older brother’s family. He was the seventh child of his parents, along with six brothers and two sisters. Three of his five brothers are under 120 cm tall, but two other siblings are of normal height. The man never tried to understand what was wrong with him, why he was born like this. An amazing love of life helped Dangi adapt to the conditions – he, like all his fellow villagers, looked after the household, herded sheep, and earned money by weaving.

  In August 2015, Dangi fell ill with pneumonia, he was admitted to the hospital, but the doctors could not help the patient – on September 3, 2015, he died.

  Junri Balauing – 59.93 cm

  The guy lives in a small village in the Philippines. He is only 59.93 cm in height. The mother noticed some strangeness of the child when he was 4 years old. Doctors considered that the boy was undersized, thin, and advised the woman to treat her son with medicines to strengthen bones. But later the diagnosis of dwarfism was confirmed. There was an opportunity to change something, to carry out several very complex operations, but Junri’s relatives did not have the necessary amount. In addition to him, there are still children in the family, they are all of normal growth.

  Balauing is almost unable to move independently – he uses a cane. If he stands on his feet for a long time, they begin to get very sick. Balauing dreams of successfully marrying a beautiful girl. A 28-year-old guy lives with relatives who constantly look after him.

  Jyoti Amji – 62.8 cm

  A little girl from India has always dreamed of becoming popular, but she could not even imagine that this would be possible due to abnormal short stature. Jyoti got into the Guinness Book of Records, the whole world heard about her, and she was invited to act in films. The miniature Indian woman is simply happy, lives with her family, studies, loves to spend time doing her favorite activities: looking at fashion magazines, making jewelry.

  Her height is only 62.8 cm. Parents took care of their daughter’s comfort in the walls of her home: she has personal dishes, lockers for things, a crib. Amji loves to go for a walk with her sister, and at the same time she sits not on the seat, but in the basket, where she feels quite comfortable.

  Currently, the girl enjoys taking part in various talk shows, posing for photographers, and maintains her Instagram account, which has almost a million followers.

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  Post by Jyoti Amge (@jyoti_amge)

  Khagendra Tapa Magar — 67 cm

  The guy remembered his coming of age for the rest of his life. It was on this day that the Nepalese was awarded a certificate from the Guinness Book of Records. He had been waiting for the event since the age of 14 and was incredibly happy, having become famous all over the world. He was born in the Baglung district of Nepal on October 4, 1992.

  “My son was so small when he was born that he could fit in the palm of his hand. Therefore, it was very difficult to bathe him,” – recalled the boy’s father.

  With a height of 67.08 cm, Khagendra became one of the shortest and smallest people in the world. At birth, he weighed only 600 g and then reached 5.5 kg. Tapa Magar did not consider himself a kid at all, he was confident in himself, dreamed of earning a lot of money, buying a big house where he would move his family.

  Short stature did not prevent him from working – he sold fruits in his father’s shop. In his spare time, the guy was engaged in dancing, went to performances and concerts. Khagendra has a brother of perfectly normal height. Relatives of the Nepalese still wonder why this happened to the eldest child. Nevertheless, Tapa Magar went down in history: he managed to star in a documentary about himself and the same miniature ones like him.

  Nepalese died at the age of 28. According to Magar’s friends, the young man suffered from heart problems, as well as asthma and pneumonia. He was admitted to a local hospital on January 16, 2020, where he died the next day.

  Hatija Kocaman – 71.1 cm

  The height of a girl from Turkey stopped at 71.1 cm. Dwarfism in her case is due to a genetic mutation found in both parents. In the case of Hatiji, this manifested itself in joint dysplasia and problems with the spine. The girl cannot fully study or work. All day the Turkish woman is busy with petty chores around the house. From early childhood, she heard a lot of ridicule from others, which made her uncomfortable. Gradually matured, Hatiji stopped paying attention to the surprised looks of passers-by and to jokes about dwarfish dimensions.

  After Hatija took an honorary line in the Guinness Book of Records, she even stated that she was now “much taller”. Otherwise, she is no different from others, she reads a lot, boasts erudition, and a great love for life. Dreams of traveling the world and finding love.

  How a dwarf became a giant. The story of Adam Reiner

  Adam was born in 1899 and until the age of 5 he was no different from his peers. But then both his parents and his brother noticed: in physical development, he began to lag behind his peers. They grew quickly, like all children at this age, but something was wrong with Adam: their peers added centimeters, and he had millimeters, he seemed to be mothballed.

  The difference became more and more noticeable, but the doctors, to whom the parents rushed, could not help. Years passed. When the guy was 17 years old and it was time to join the army (the First World War was already underway), he was declared unfit for military service. And how could it be otherwise, because Reiner’s height was only 122 centimeters. By the way, with such a diminutiveness, his leg was 43rd size.

  It is unlikely that Adam was upset because of the inability to go to the trenches. In the parental home, he was calm and comfortable. He did not experience any particular suffering about his tiny stature, he treated his misfortune philosophically and tried to enjoy every day he lived.

  So his years would have passed in relative serenity, but fate prepared a new “gift” for him: at the age of 24, he suddenly began to grow. Moreover, at such a pace that no one could have dreamed of: at first he became of ordinary growth, such that one could easily get lost in the crowd; then head and shoulders above the others. But the strange metamorphosis continued: he seemed to be stretched, pulled upwards by an unknown force. At the age of 30, he reached the mark of 2.18 m. And even this was not the limit.

  Scientists became interested in Rainer. Precedents when an ordinary person suddenly began to grow up at such years have already been recorded, although they were rare. But it never happened that a dwarf turned into a giant. The best doctors tried to understand the mechanism running in his body. Rainer himself, by that time, also passionately wanted to get rid of this misfortune, because too high growth gave a huge burden to the whole organism, which initially served a very small person.

  He started having health problems: his back hurt, his legs couldn’t withstand such a load either. In addition, the heart began to fail, vision fell, hearing deteriorated. For a long time, doctors who struggled with this riddle were powerless. It was impossible to make a diagnosis of a miracle man.

  But finally, after an incredible number of examinations and tests, the cause of the man’s misadventures was found: a tumor was found in his pituitary gland. It was she who, growing up, played cruel jokes with Adam, who was offered an operation to remove it, although they warned that this event was quite risky, like any invasion of the brain.

  Reiner did not hesitate for a long time. By that time, his growth had already reached 2.30 m. The operation was successful, but even this could not stop the raging pituitary gland – growth hormone continued to be produced, although not at such a pace.

  Rainer died early, at the age of 51, his height then was 2.34 m. Adam was lucky to be a normal person for a while – at the time when he stopped being a short man, but had not yet turned into a tower.

  See also:

  • One head is good, two is a fairy tale. Did two-headed people exist and how did they live?
  • We talk about the life, career and death of the hairiest people in the world

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