Ossified man

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Jonathan R. Bass, a famous ossified man Gould Pyle 269.jpg
Jonathan R. Bass, a famous ossified man

An ossified man (or, if female, ossified girl or ossified lady) was a common freak show and dime museum exhibit.

Some ossified men suffered from myositis ossificans progressiva, or "stone man disease", in which the soft tissues of the body gradually transform into bone. [1] Others had conditions including ankylosis, [2] cerebral palsy, [3] or rheumatism. [4] They were often advertised with invented conditions, such as "polyarthritis deformans". [3]

In a few cases, automata have been displayed as purported ossified men and women. [4]

Ossified performers included:

References

  1. ↑ Bullitt, J. B. (October 1927). "Ossifying Hematoma". California and Western Medicine. 27 (4): 508–511. ISSN   0093-4038 . Retrieved 28 June 2025.
  2. 1 2 Mannix, Daniel P. (2000). Freaks: we who are not as others. Juno. p. 147. ISBN   978-0-9651042-5-8.
  3. 1 2 3 4 Bogdan, Robert (1988). Freak Show : Presenting Human Oddities for Amusement and Profit. University of Chicago Press. pp. 96, 327, 368. Retrieved 28 June 2025.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 Stencell, A. W. (2010). Circus and carnival Ballyhoo: sideshow freaks, jaggers and blade box queens. Toronto: ECW Press. pp. 97, 193, 206, 256. ISBN   9781550228809.
  5. 1 2 Hartzman, Marc (2006). American Sideshow. East Rutherford: Penguin Publishing Group. pp. 12, 31. ISBN   1585425303.
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