Dwarfism

Dwarfism

Although people are different in many ways, few differences are more obvious than dwarfism. Because dwarfism is relatively rare, not many worry about unprejudiced treatment of dwarfs.But dwarfs deal with the same issues as “normal” people, while also trying to overcome the problems posed by their abnormally small height. The novel Stones from the River makes us aware of these problems and raises questions:What is dwarfism?And how do dwarfs feel about their conditions? And how does people’s treatment of dwarfs affect their outlook on society in general?

“Dwarfism” is a term used to describe the condition of those whose bodies are significantly smaller than the average person’s.A dwarf may suffer from medical problems, which can lead to many deformities and complications throughout life.The deformities of some dwarfs, according to the Little People’s Research Fund website, can lead to extensive disabilities, paralysis, and even death.Over one and a half million people in the United States suffer from some condition of dwarfism (Billy Barty).What many do not know, however, is that most dwarfs are born to families that have no history of dwarfism in their families.

There are many different types of dwarfism that researchers have confirmed today, but there still are many genes for dwarfism that remain unidentified.The most common of these known causes is achondroplasia, a bone growth disorder.The Little People Online website states that most dwarfs who suffer from achondroplasia are born to “average-size” parents, and that their birth rate is somewhere between onein26,000-40,000www.lpaonline.org).The main characteristics of this form of dwarfism are normal trunk size with short appendages, irregularly large heads wi...

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...e dealing with her own emotional turmoil over accepting herself for who she is.Trudi, like other dwarfs of the past and present, is forced to accept who she is.

Works Cited

The Billy Barty Foundation.Online.Internet.10 Oct. 2000.Available:http://www.lprf.org/dwarfism.html

DrKoop.com.Online.Internet.Medical Encyclopedia.9 Oct. 2000.Available:

http://www.drkoop.com/conditions/ency/article/001247.htm

Hegi, Ursula.Stones from the River.New York:Simon & Schuster, 1994.

The Human Genome Project.Online.Internet.Personal Experiences.10 Oct. 2000.

Available:http://mcet.edu/genome/issuesandethics/personal/dwarfism.html

Little People of America, Inc..Online.Internet.10 Oct. 2000.Available:

http://www.lpaonline.org/resources_dwarftypes.html

Little People’s Research Fund, Inc.Online.Internet.10 Oct. 2000.Available:

http://www.lprf.org/dwarfism.html