Where We Were: A Little Bit of History
Caroline Crachami was the first recognized individual with primordial dwarfism. She was born in Palermo, Italy in 1815. The exact history is unclear, but she traveled with a “Dr. Gilligan” with whom she did many appearances and exhibitions in London. Various descriptions arose from these exhibitions. She reportedly knew enough English to express herself fluently and her voice was described as thin and high-pitched.
Shortly before her death in 1824, a journalist named William Jerdan published her measurements. Her height was 19 ½ inches, the length of her foot, 3 1/8 inches and the length of her forefinger, 17/8 inches. Her head circumference was measured at 123/8 inches and her waist circumference, 11 ¼ inches. He wrote:
"Only imagine a creature about half as large as a new-born infant; perfect in all its parts and lineaments, uttering words in a strange, unearthly voice, understanding what you say and replying to your questions. Imagine I say, this figure of about 19 ½ inches in height and 5 pounds in weight, and you will have some idea of this most extraordinary phenomenon.”
During the first half of the 20th century, several new cases of dwarfism were published in the medical literature. One of the people who noticed their similarities to Caroline Crachami was H.P.G. Seckel. In 1960, professor Seckel described a new syndrome, which is now referred to as Seckel syndrome. From that time on, new cases of Seckel syndrome, in addition to other similar types of dwarfism, have been reported in the medical literature. These include the osteodysplastic types as described by Majewsky, as well as others.
A significant amount of uncertainty exists when discussing these conditions due to multiple overlapping similarities. The rarity of these syndromes has complicated matters and has made steps towards greater understanding very difficult. Many parents of children with primordial dwarfism have experienced this first hand. Obtaining a clear diagnosis can be difficult. Parents may first be told one diagnosis and then a different diagnosis another. This ambiguity is what led to the creation of the “umbrella diagnosis” of primordial dwarfism (PD). Primordial dwarfism essentially means small from the very beginning of life. Therefore, even if a specific diagnosis is initially unclear, e.g. consideration between Seckel syndrome or
ODPDII, it may be clear that the diagnosis falls under the category of primordial dwarfism.
Recently, more children are being diagnosed with primordial dwarfism. This is perhaps due to increased awareness in combination with recent advances in neonatal care. In response to the increasing number of children being identified with PD, the need to learn more about these conditions has grown.
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