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Mutants
Welcome to Mutants – the three-part series in which scientist Armand Marie Leroi explores the sometimes weird, sometimes wonderful, and always very ordinary world of the human mutant.
From conjoined twins to dwarfs, giants and hairiness, Leroi explores the extraordinary variety that the human genome can throw up. His journey takes him from the person, via all manner of scientific experiments, to the minute mutated molecule that is the cause of their condition.
Forgetting the weird and wonderful for a moment, Leroi has another more serious point – we all are mutants, every last one of us. If we weren't we'd all be clones of each other, a world full of identical twins, and how weird would that be? Being a mutant is what makes me, me, and you, you. It's what makes us unique, special and different.
For a more in-depth look at the ordinary and the extraordinary in the human genome, take a dip into Leroi's book. You will learn of a French convent girl who changes sex, of ostrich-footed folk in Africa, of a village of Croatian dwarves and of a very hairy family who entertained the Burmese royal court for generations. You will also learn how all these astonishing stories relate to boring old you and me, and what we are made of.
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Programme one – A Perfect Join
Websites
Born Freak
The days of the freak show may officially be over but the human fascination with physical appearance is stronger than ever. This site looks at the history of the 'human oddities and curiosities' that the able-bodied have been repelled by, yet compelled to gaze at.
Riddle of the Elephant Man
Each one of us carries, on average, about half a dozen recessive genes that would kill us if we had two copies instead of one. Alone, they are impotent and effectively invisible but every now and again the lottery of inheritance deals a devastating blow. Joseph Merrick, the so-called Elephant Man, is a potent symbol of the effects that such bad luck can bring.
Francis Galton
Biography of the 'Father of Eugenics', Francis Galton. Eugenics is the science of controlled breeding in order to increase desirable inherited characteristics.
The World of Siamese Twins
Channel 4 looks at the history of conjoined twins.
Conjoined Twins
www.conjoined-twins.i-p.com
Informative site offering detailed medical information on the different types and forms of conjoined twins. Includes high-quality images and video material of surgery conducted at the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia.
Mütter Museum Philadelphia
www.collphyphil.org/muttpg1.shtml
Attached to the College of Physicians of Philadelphia, the museum's collection includes over 20,000 objects, including many photographs and other records of conjoined twins throughout history. The site offers an overview and a history of the museum, as well as links to the College Gallery and Historical Library.
Dmoz Open Directory Project
http://dmoz.org/Home/Family/
Multiples/Conjoined_Twins/
List of links to features about conjoined twins.
A Social History of Conjoined Twins
http://zygote.swarthmore.edu/cleave4b.html
Gives information on conjoined twins dating back to the ancient world. Considers the significance they were believed to have at different times in history.
Books
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Mutants: On the form, varieties and errors of the human body by Armand Marie Leroi (HarperCollins, 2004)
Looks at how the body develops and grows from a single cell to an adult and at what happens when mistakes occur. This is a narrative history of important and bizarre cases of human mutants.
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The Elephant Man by Christine Sparks (Ballantine, 1995)
Dramatises the life of Joseph Merrick, who was so hideously deformed that he was exhibited as a freak in a sideshow until befriended by the London surgeon, Dr Frederick Treves.
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Fly: The unsung hero of twentieth century science by Martin Brookes (Phoenix, 2002)
The amazing fruit fly is, in fact, an unsung hero in the history of science. This is the story of modern biology told through the life of the fly – from genetics to evolution, physiology to ecology, medicine to psychology.
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The True History of the Elephant Man by Michael Howell and Peter Ford (Allison & Busby, 2001)
This extraordinary and moving story, set amongst the brutal realities of the Victorian world, tells of a tragic individual, Joseph Merrick, and his survival against overwhelming odds.
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Genome by Matt Ridley (Fourth Estate, 2000)
By picking one newly discovered gene from each of the 23 human chromosomes and telling its story, Ridley recounts the history of our species from the dawn of life to the brink of future medicine. He finds genes that we share with bacteria, genes that distinguish us from chimpanzees, genes that can condemn us to cruel diseases, and many more.
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Magic Universe: The Oxford guide to modern science by Nigel Calder (Oxford University Press, 2003)
Brings current science to the general reader in an imaginative and wholly original way. It offers an exhilarating tour of the horizons of knowledge, from quarks to linguistics, climate change to cloning, and chaos to superstrings, presented as a set of self-contained stories.
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The Language of the Genes by Steve Jones (Flamingo, 2000)
Sensitive to the social issues raised by genetics, the author's interest reaches beyond that to the human past, to what genetics can and cannot tell us about our evolution and patterns of social development.
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Entwined Lives: Twins and what they tell us about human behaviour by Nancy L Segal (Plume Books, 2000)
A study of twins, bringing together the latest scientific research and case studies to explore the complexities of human behaviour and development. Gives a good overview of conjoined twins.
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Joined at Birth: The lives of conjoined twins by Elaine Landau (Franklin Watts, 1997)
Aimed at 9 to 12-year-olds, this book explores the issue of conjoined twins, including a discussion of the difficult decision regarding physical separation that parents must face.
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Programme two – Growing Pains
Organisations
Dwarf Athletic Association UK
41 Kenilworth Drive
Hazel Grove
Stockport SK7 5LG
Tel: 0161 355 5399
E-mail: info@daauk.org
Website: www.daauk.org
Aims to make regular sporting opportunities accessible and enjoyable to anyone and everyone of restricted growth in the United Kingdom.
Irish Association for Restricted Growth
PO Box 6239
Dublin 11
Ireland
Tel: 00 353 872600179
Fax: 00 353 90278083
E-mail: iafrg@iol.ie
Website: www.geocities.com/
iafrg_web/index.html
News, information and features on this site. Also lists events across Ireland.
The Pituitary Foundation
PO Box 1944
Bristol
BS99 2UB
Tel/fax: 0845 4500375
E-mail: helpline@pituitary.org.uk
Website: www.pituitary.org.uk/index.htm
National patient support group for pituitary patients, their families, friends and carers, which operates throughout the UK and Republic of Ireland. It is estimated that there are between 40,000 and 70,000 pituitary patients in the UK. The website has lots of information for anyone with gigantism or acromegaly.
Restricted Growth Association UK
PO Box 4744
Dorchester
DT2 9FA
Tel: 01308 898445
E-mail: office@restrictedgrowth.co.uk
Website: www.restrictedgrowth.co.uk
Provides information and support. The website has articles, links and a bulletin board.
Tall Persons Club GB & Ireland
The Richmond Business Centre
Greyhound House
23-24 George Street
Richmond
TW9 1HY
Tel: 07000 TALL-1-2 (07000 825512)
Website: www.tallclub.co.uk/index.asp
Dedicated to providing information for and promoting the interests of tall people.
Websites
Atom Films – Short
http://atomfilms.shockwave.com/af/
content/atom_214
Watch Imogen Murphy's short film entitled Short, whose protagonist is a dwarf.
Blazing a Genetic Trail
www.hhmi.org/genetictrail/
A site for anyone interested in the genes that cause genetic disease. With information on current research.
Disability Films UK
www.disabilityfilms.co.uk/dwarftoc.htm
Has an excellent bibliography of films that focus on dwarfism and dwarf actors.
Dwarfism
www.dwarfism.org/
Centralised dwarfism resources with medical and legal information.
Gigantism and Acromegaly
www.emedicine.com/ped/topic2634.htm
Article that looks at the background to these two conditions and the key differences in diagnosis and prognosis.
Little People of America
www.lpaonline.org
Excellent site that provides information on the different types of dwarfism. The site also has a library, statistical info, a chat room and much more.
The Sofa by Rachel Cohen
www.threepennyreview.com/samples/
cohen_f02.html
Good biography of the famous painter Henri Toulouse-Lautrec, who was a dwarf with weak bones. Cohen argues that his dwarfism seems to have been the result of his family's proud commitment to intermarriage.
Books
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A Cabinet of Medical Curiosities by Jan Bondeson (I B Tauris, 1997)
Before museums there were cabinets of medical curiosities: a dried mermaid might sit next to a giant's shinbone; the skeletons of conjoined twins beside an Egyptian mummy. In this well-illustrated book, the author uses his medical expertise to explore some of these medical freaks, outright frauds and popular myths.
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Essential Cell Biology: An introduction to the molecular biology of the cell by Bruce Alberts et al (Garland Science, 1997)
An introductory book for students and anyone interested in cell biology. Covers genetic variation and recombinant DNA technology and an easy-to-understand introduction to the techniques at the frontiers of biological research.
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Human Biology: An Introduction to human evolution, variation, growth and ecology by G A Harrison, J M Tanner, D R Pilbeam and P T Baker (Oxford University Press, 1988)
Looks at the nature, origins, development and causes of human variety and at the biological organisation of past and present human populations.
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Little People: Learning to see the world through my daughter's eyes by Dan Kennedy (Rodale Press, 2003)
The father of a daughter with achondroplasia looks at attitudes towards those with physical differences. He goes on to explores dwarfism from ancient times, when dwarfs held an honoured position in some cultures, to more modern days when they were featured in freak shows and treated as human guinea pigs by Nazi scientists. While sharing his own poignant experiences, Kennedy works in wonderful passages about dwarf subculture, including the fever pitch of the dating scene during the annual Little People of America convention, and the caste system that exists among those with different varieties of the condition.
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Never Sell Yourself Short by Stephanie Riggs (Albert Whitman, 2001)
Fourteen-year-old Josh was born with achondroplasia, the most common form of dwarfism. In this photo-essay, Josh talks about his life, describing the challenges he faces along with his plans for the future. Aimed at schoolchildren.
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Patterns of Human Growth by Barry Bogin (Cambridge University Press, 1999)
After covering the history, philosophy and basic biological principles of human development, the book turns to the evolution of the human lifecycle. Later chapters explore the physiological, environmental and cultural reasons for population variation in growth and the genetic and endocrine factors that regulate individual development.
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Toulouse-Lautrec: A life by Julia Frey (Weidenfeld and Nicholson, 1995)
Biography of the French painter Henri Toulouse-Lautrec who was a dwarf with weak bones.
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Maybe the Moon by Armistead Maupin (HarperPerennial, 1993)
Original chronicle of Cadence Roth – Hollywood actress, singer, iconoclast and former Guinness Book record holder as the world's shortest woman.
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A Prayer for Owen Meany by John Irving (Black Swan, 1990)
Novel about Owen Meany, a dwarfish boy with a strange voice who accidentally kills his best friend's mum with a baseball and believes, correctly as it transpires, that he is an instrument of God, to be redeemed by martyrdom.
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Programme three – Skin Deep
Websites
Superhuman
Nature or nurture? See if your body could take the strain.
Ashley Montagu (1905-1999)
www.ecs.soton.ac.uk/~harnad/ashley.html
Biography of the great anthropologist whose principal legacy is his critical analysis on the concept of race.
Facial Prejudice: Read my face
www.bbc.co.uk/science/humanbody/
mind/articles/emotions/faceperception2.shtml
BBC science article that looks at research currently being carried out in the Perception Laboratory at the University of St Andrews. Professor Perrett and his team are investigating how the features of a person's face shape how we think of them.
The Perception Laboratory – St Andrew's
www.perceptionlab.com
Find out about the work being undertaken in the psychology department on facial perception and try one of the fun online experiments.
Genetics and Human Behaviour: What is genetic variation?
www.nuffieldbioethics.org/go/ourwork/
behaviouralgenetics/publication_311.html
Gives a clear outline of what genetic variation consists of.
The Multiracial Activist
www.multiracial.com/issues/
issues-evolution.html
Excellent resources with many articles arguing the biological case against race.
A Question of Colour
www.guardian.co.uk/g2/
story/0,3604,712166,00.html
When making a diagnosis, should doctors take into account a patient's race? The controversial US doctor Sally Satel argues that they should.
Race is a Poor Measure
www.unmc.edu/Community/ruralmeded/
fedstloc/race_is_a_poor_measure.htm
Robert S Schwartz argues that race is a social construct, not a scientific classification.
Redefining Race
www.sciencentral.com/articles/view.php3?
language=english&type=24119&article_id
=218392024&cat=1_3
The US Food and Drug Administration has asked drug-makers to record the race of participants in drug studies. But some geneticists, like Mark Shriver, say that's bad science.
What Race were the Ancient Egyptians?
www.catchpenny.org/race.html
Argues that there is no scientific basis to the concept of different races among humans and that the human race is of a single species.
Books
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Ape to Apollo: Aesthetics and the idea of race in the eighteenth century by David Bindman (Reaktion Books, 2002)
Race was essentially a construction of the 18th century, a means through which the Enlightenment could impose rational order on human variety. Bindman argues that ideas of beauty were from the beginning inseparable from race, as Europeans judged the civility and aesthetic capacity of other races by their appearance
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Genes, Peoples and Languages by Luigi Luca Cavalli-Sforza (Penguin, 2001)
Cavalli-Sforza has been the leading architect of a revolution in human genetics since the 1960s. His studies of the transmission of family names in Italy, of the relationship between human genes and languages, and of migration and marriage, are the benchmarks of our biological self-understanding.
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The History and Geography of Human Genes by Luigi Luca Cavalli-Sforza (Princeton University Press, 1996)
Mapping the worldwide geographic distribution of genes for over 110 traits in over 1800 primarily aboriginal populations, the authors charted migrations and devised a clock by which to date evolutionary history. The author argues that from a scientific point of view, the concept of race has failed to obtain any consensus.
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Man's Most Dangerous Myth: Fallacy of race by Ashley Montagu (AltaMira Press, 1998)
Encompasses the most complete explanation of Montagu's theory. It takes on the issues of the bell curve, IQ testing, ethnic cleansing and other contemporary race relations topics.
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The Race Gallery by Mark Kohn (Jonathan Cape, 1995)
Genetics and human anthropology were often deeply racist disciplines before the Second World War; these ideas were not the sole property of Nazi Germany, but were endorsed widely in the US and Europe. The Holocaust and other massacres in the name of racial purity buried such notions for decades, but the author shows here how they are returning in the work of often well-meaning scientists.
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