r/DisabilityHistory

What Julius went through as a kid is heartbreaking and I hope that he was ultimately able to distance himself from his parents, no one should ever suffer that kind of neglect and abuse, especially from their parents.

There have been circumstances when performers are exhibited by their parents to earn money because of extreme financial difficulties, but in these cases parents always traveled with their children to ensure their safety and genuinely wanted to give their children better lives.

I hope he was able to find a community of people who cared about him in the circuses he worked at. I also hope he experienced a lot of happiness during his life.

Some facts about him:

\-he was born in Brooklyn, New York.

\-his parents had arranged for him to perform as a “Siberian wild boy” at a fairgrounds in Chicago, Illinois when he was 7 years old in 1918. Once people recognized that he was so young, the authorities were called to take him from the exhibit.

\-it’s reported that his parents were being paid $25 a week for Julius to be exhibited. He was often made to sit in a cage from 3pm until midnight being forced to do his acts.

\-while at the Chicago fairgrounds, his act consisted of running around on all fours and barking.

\-he was placed in an institution while his parents were being located.

\-his parents were arrested on charges of child endangerment and brought to court, (but I can’t find any further information on what came of this)

\-he had some neurodivergence that was caused by his condition and it was determined that he was more in line with 4 year olds mentally when he was 7 years old.

\-his father owned a very successful tailor shop in Hollywood.

\-he entered the circus/sideshow industry again as an adult, although this may have again been at the request of his parents.

\-he was on the higher functioning side of the microcephaly spectrum, and didn’t require any aid in dressing or feeding himself.

\-similar to a lot of other performers who were born with microcephaly, Julius’ head was shaved with the exception of a small tuft of hair at the top of his head to emphasize his head shape.

\-he spent several seasons with the Hagenbeck-Wallace Circus in the 1930s.

\-he was VERY particular about his haircut and beard (of which he was very proud of) and would get really stressed if he felt a barber ever cut too much hair off. Thankfully, it seems that the barbers who tended to the sideshow performers accommodated him well and made sure to do his haircut exactly how he liked it.

\-while many sideshow performers liked going into town on Sundays, he enjoyed staying at the fairgrounds.

\-he was working for Glenn Porter’s Circus Sideshow in 1948.

\-as an adult, he was often hired by circuses and sideshows to play clowns and usually wore a clown suit.

\-he went on tour all over the world.

\-he had a small career in Hollywood and was featured in a couple films that starred Bella Lugosi and Boris Karloff.

\-his coworkers described him as someone who was very friendly and happy even if he didn’t talk too much.

\-he passed away in 1985 at the age of 75.

He looks like such a friendly and happy person and must have been a great guy to know. I also love that there seemed to be at least a couple people who cared for him and made accommodations for him, even so small as his barbers taking the time to make sure his haircut was just right.

I’m still looking into which films he was featured in because it would be great to find out and watch him on the silver screen! If I find any information, I’ll be sure to let people here know!

Yao Defen was a Chinese woman who was notable for being the tallest woman in the world during her lifetime. Her peak height was 7 feet
7 inches due to a pituitary gland tumor. Her family struggled financially for much of her life and in order to help support her parents she performed in some Chinese carnivals. She dealt with chronic pain throughout most of her life due to the pressure on her joints due to her height. She was very self conscious about her height and preferred staying at home because she received less negative attention that way.
She had an operation done to remove her tumor in 2002 and expressed a lot of gratitude because she had been waiting several decades to get the tumor removed.

I wish the artwork of him as a baby didn’t have to expose him in such a vulnerable way. This image of him was most likely only published in medical journals, but I still don’t think it’s right since he couldn’t consent to how he was depicted and where the image was being published. I’ve blurred everything for his privacy in both images.

I do think he was an adorable baby boy and I love the little flower crown and the baby rattle he was given. I hope he had people who cared about and supported him during his life.

Some facts about him:

-he was born in Faro, Portugal.

-he had two siblings.

-he was first brought to see a doctor about his condition when he was 6 months old. It was during this series of examinations that an etching was drawn of him.

-he was first exhibited by his parents when he was 6 months old.

-he was described as being a very lively and outgoing boy.

-in addition to extra leg, he also had an extra set of genitalia and an extra bladder.

-it was determined by doctors that his extra leg was actually two limbs that had fused and grown together as one, unlike Francesco Lentini who was born with an extra fully formed and functional extra leg.

-he had no motor control over his extra leg.

-as an adult he primarily exhibited himself in special exhibits in and around Paris, France, and turned down job offers from traditional French circuses.

-as an adult he was advised by physicians to get his extra leg removed, but he declined.

-he was examined by doctors a second time when he was 22 years old and in Havana, Cuba.

-he supposedly had a high libido, though this was always a claim that was attached to any performer that happened to have an extra set of genitalia, because of this stereotype I’m shying away from saying that his high libido was 100% verifiably true.

-he typically wore a sling to hold his extra leg or tied it to one of his dominant legs, so that it didn’t just hang uncomfortably from his body.

-he was fond of horses and was an avid horseback rider.

-he was known to be very charming and handsome as an adult.

-he became acquainted with and later friends with Blanche Dumas, another performer who was born with a parasitic twin that gave her an extra leg and an extra set of genitalia.

-there are several rumors that Juan and Blanche had a torrid affair (because they both had two sets of genitalia), but this affair was never proven. I like to think that they were friends because they could really understand each other’s experiences.

I haven’t been able to find information about when he passed away. I hope he was able to have a long and happy life, hopefully involving something related to his passion for horseback riding! I’m glad he was able to connect with Blanche Dumas as I’m sure it was comforting to know that there was at least one other person out there with the same condition he had.

New York

Alvim’s story directly connects to Rosalina and Maria’s story that I posted the other day. I thought it was so fascinating that he helped on their landmark surgery, while also having his own story relate to disability history.

Some facts about him:

-he was born in Vassouras, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

-he graduated from the Bahia School of Medicine in 1887.

-he traveled to France in the mid-1890s where he studied with renowned chemists Marie and Pierre Curie. (Who were both known at the time for their studies on radium.)

-he married a woman named Laura Paglia Agostini, and together they had three children.

-he established several medical clinics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil that were outfitted with electrotherapy, physiotherapy, radiotherapy and radiology equipment.

-he is notable for taking the first ever x-ray of a pair of conjoined twins (Rosalina and Maria Pinheiro Davel) in preparation for their separation surgery in 1900.

-this radiography session with Rosalina and Maria also marked the first time that x-rays were utilized in Brazil.

-this successful x-ray session was a historic event and Alvim was praised for his work on the twins’ case, which led to multiple patient referrals.

-he is considered the martyr of Brazilian Science.

-he contributed to the invention of lead curtains to help decrease radiation exposure in patients, radiologists, and radiology technicians alike.

-he had to get a majority of his hands removed due to the years of unprotected exposure to radiation.

-with the help of hand prostheses, he was able to continue his practice until his death.

-there are six different roads that have been named after him in Brazil.

-he passed away in 1928 from leukemia.

-he has since been honored with stamp made in his likeness in 1963. (Second picture)

I just wanted to make a short little write up honoring him and his work. I think it’s interesting that even after he lost the majority of his hands and knew the dangerous effects of radiation, he continued because of his passion for radiography work.

The very first Brailler (Braille Typewriter) was invented by Frank H. Hall in 1892. Hall was the superintendent of the Illinois Institution for the Education of the Blind. The invention of this typewriter allowed for a person to write up to 50 words per minute in Braille.

More info about them can be found here:

https://www.antiquetypewriters.com/typewriter/hall-braille-writer-1/

A lot of the sources I used were originally written in Portuguese, so if anything doesn’t make sense it’s just the translation being off.

I wish Maria had been able to have just as long of a life as Rosalina. I can’t imagine how heartbreaking it must have been for Rosalina to lose her sister like that.

The first picture shows Rosalina and Maria with their matching dolls before the surgery, the second picture shows Rosalina several months after the operation and after she knew about Maria’s death, and the last picture shows Rosalina later in life with her husband and grand children.

Some facts about them:

-they were born in Afonso Cláudio, Espírito Santo, Brazil.

-they had 10 siblings.

-both twins were described as being very talkative and enjoyed excitedly chattering to each other and giggling.

-their parents sought out medical treatment for the twins because Maria often became sick. It was while they were being treated that their parents and doctors began talking about separation surgery.

-it was decided that they were good candidates for separation as they didn’t share any major vital organs and were joined at their seventh ribs/chests. There was also a fear that because Maria had a weaker immune system that she would pass on a deadly virus to Rosalina should she come down with something.

-they were seven years old when they were separated.

-they were both giving matching dolls to give them comfort before and after the operation.

-their heads were shaved prior to surgery.

-their surgery was the first separation surgery to ever be performed in South America and took place on May 30th, 1900.

-it’s reported that Rosalina experienced the effects of the anesthesia faster than Maria did.

-after they awoke from the surgery it was described that they were alert and cognitively alright.

-tragically, Maria passed away a week after the surgery was complete, due to complications she experienced while recovering.

-Despite Maria’s tragic passing, the medical world still considered the twins surgery to be a success and the surgeon who conducted the operation, Dr. Chapot Prevost, became very highly regarded.

-their separation also caused a stir within the sideshow industry as a few showmen wondered if it would mean that all conjoined twins would stop working in sideshows and receive separation surgery.

-their surgery inspired several other international surgeons to be open to operating on and separating conjoined twins.

-a special religious mass was celebrated as thanks for Rosalina’s successful recovery and she was greeted with crowds of joyful people showering her with bouquets of flowers and other gifts as she walked from the hospital to the church.

-there was a period of time when Rosalina didn’t understand that Maria had passed away, thinking that she was sick and would be reunited once she was feeling better.

-Rosalina constantly talked about how much she wanted to see her sister again and would point to mirrors and exclaim she looked just like Maria and would want her sister back even more.

-Dr. Prevost, who conducted the operation adopted Rosalina soon after (and would have adopted Maria as well, had she survived) because the twins’ parents were struggling financially and it was difficult for them to care for their ten other children.

-Rosalina traveled to Paris with her adoptive parents (Dr. Prevost and his wife) two months after recovering from the operation, where she went on tour and gave talks in all sorts of venues about her life with Maria and what it was like to be connected with another person in that way.

-a considerable amount of money had been raised by the citizens of Rio de Janeiro in order to give Rosalina a good life and to help her financially.

-Rosalina was described as being full of life and eventually went back to being as talkative as she had been prior to the surgery.

-Rosalina wasn’t told of her sister’s death until after she arrived back in Brazil from her trip to France. It’s reported that she excitedly met her birth parents at the boat docks and excitedly asked where Maria was because she had gifts to give her from her travels. It was only then that she was told her sister had died.

-Rosalina became inconsolable after hearing about her sister, and later in life said that at that moment in time everyone in her life was crying for Maria.

-after processing her sister’s death, Rosalina expressed an interest in joining the local church and began going to school as well.

-Rosalina married a man named Wantuyl Henriques in 1927 and they settled down together in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

-Rosalina and her husband went on to have several children and at least eight grandchildren.

-Rosalina passed away in 1975 at the age of 82.

I hope that wherever they both are now, that they’re both reunited. I wonder if Rosalina spoke about her sister later in life, one silver lining is that she did go on to have a loving family, and hopefully they brought her peace and comfort.

On this day in 1942, Ian Robins Dury was born in Harrow, Middlesex. His father was often absent due to work, and Ian and his mother moved around frequently. At the age of seven, he contracted polio, probably from a swimming pool in the seaside town of Southend-on-Sea in Essex. The disease caused paralysis on the left side of his body, resulting in a withered arm and a reliance on a walking stick.

After a few years with the band Kilburn and the High Roads, he had his mainstream breakout with the single 'Sex & Drugs & Rock & Roll' in August 1977. He released his debut album, 'New Boots and Panties!!', a month later. Shortly after this, he and his band began performing as Ian Dury and the Blockheads, and they had several hits in the UK.

One of Dury's most controversial songs was 'Spasticus Autisticus', released in August 1981. 'Spastic' was originally a relatively formal term for someone with cerebral palsy, but by the 1980s, it had become an ableist slur and common insult in the UK. As you can probably guess based on the title, the song is pretty provocative—but he wrote it for a reason. 1981 had been declared 'The International Year of Disabled Persons' by the UN, which Dury considered deeply patronising. The song is a scathing indictment of the condescending, dismissive way disabled people are treated and the expectation for them to be grateful for the bare minimum: "You can read my body, but you'll never read my books." The BBC were outraged and banned it from airplay, as did several other radio stations. Thirty-one years later, it was played at the opening ceremony of the 2012 London Paralympic Games.

Sadly, Dury didn't live to see it—he died of cancer in 2000, aged just 57. Despite his relatively short musical career, he left an indelible mark on the British music scene, and his son Baxter ultimately followed in his footsteps, becoming a musician himself. On what would have been Ian's 84th birthday, I encourage everyone to listen to his music, watch his interviews, and read his words.

Red and maroon are such good colors that both compliment her so well! I hope there were some people who told her how great she looked, if I had met her, I’d definitely want to tell her that she was so pretty and had such a charming smile!

She looks like she was a very sweet woman, and I really hope she had at least moments of happiness in her life. Her height made her feel very self conscious and I wish she had people who supported her and boosted her confidence vs people who stopped and stared.

Some facts about her:

-she was born in Liuan, Anhui, China.

-her parents were both farmers.

-her family struggled financially for much of her life.

-the pituitary gland tumor is what caused her height. When she was 11 years old she was 6 ft 2 in (188 cm) tall.

-she learned to play basketball from a young age, but had to stop when she began experiencing too much pain in her joints.

-she was 6 ft 11 in (210 cm) when she was 15 years old.

-it was when she was 15 years old that she first went to see a doctor about her condition. Word about her height had spread so much throughout her town that she felt seeing a doctor would be the best course of action.

-the doctor accurately diagnosed her condition, but refused to schedule a surgery to remove the tumor because Defen and her family couldn’t afford the cost of 4,000 yuan.

-she was extremely self conscious about her height for the majority of her life, in one Chinese interview she expressed feeling sad and anxious about her height saying,

“I am very unhappy. Why am I this tall? If I were not this tall, others would not look at me like this."

-the chronic pain and extreme pressure in her joints made it very difficult for her to walk and she spent the majority of her time in her bed or in a specially chair when she was traveling.

-word about her height spread even more and she was contacted by several agencies who wanted to train her in various sports. This plan was never followed through because her height and the pressure on her joints made her too weak to do any strenuous form of exercise.

-she and her father decided that earning money in traveling carnivals and shows was one of the few ways that she could earn a dependable income.

-she began her performing career when she was 20 years old.

-she never attended school and never learned to read.

-she enjoyed knitting in her free time and said that it was her favorite hobby.

-she attracted a lot of attention whenever she left her house and expressed her dislike for it because of how invasive everyone was. She described feeling like a spectacle rather than a person.

-in 2002, she found a hospital willing to remove the tumor for free, and made a full recovery from the surgery. She hoped that the successful surgery would help her in being able to live an independent life. Upon her release from the hospital she said, “I want to recover soon and return to my home town. There is so much fun in life. I want to visit a wet market, stores and live like others." 

-her peak height was 7 ft 7 in (234.69 cm) or 7 ft 8 in (237.74 cm) tall. She was recognized as being the world’s tallest woman after Sandy Allen, who previously held the title, died in 2008.

-TLC (the American TV network) dedicated a show to Defen and her daily life in 2009.

-tragically she suffered a major fall in her home and experienced internal bleeding in her brain. After she recovered enough to see visitors, she was visited by China's tallest man, Zhang Juncai. She said that this visit cheered her up a lot.

-she passed away in her family’s home when she was 40 years old.

I really hope she had some caring friends in her life, it makes me incredibly sad that she had to deal with so many people in her daily life that treated her like a spectacle, she just wanted to be treated as a regular person. Though it does seem that she was thankfully quite a bit happier after her surgery, I hope she was able to visit the wet markets and stores that she wanted to go to!

I am however glad that she had a passion for knitting since it’s a very calming creative outlet. I hope some of her work still exists because I’d love to know what it was that she enjoyed knitting!

Back when I was a kid, autism was in its infancy as a diagnosis and when one of us became famous, it was usually someone with a "savant" talent that blew normal minds.

One of these legends is Stephen Wiltshire, now an MBE and various other letters after his name. He draws EPIC cityscapes from memory and I seem to remember I was introduced to him via Blue Peter, classic British kids show.

Anyway if you don't know Stephen, this is his Wikipedia page:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stephen\_Wiltshire

He continues to blow EVERYONE'S minds.

I hope to continue sharing with you the autistic legends of "back in my day"... Once I remember another one, lol.