The chin man touches his chest to become a medical mystery

Through a series of accidents, Leonard Trask suffered a severe spinal deformity to the point where his chin touched his chest, causing the doctor to find an answer.

There are individuals who have been born with special status and others due to the incident which became a medical mystery like the case of Leonard Trask , the farmer with the spine bent to the chin touching his chest . For a long time, doctors could not determine what Trask had and just made a diagnosis after his death.

According to Human Marvel, Trask was born on June 30, 1905 in Hartford, Maine (USA). In 1833, the boy in the late 20s suddenly had an accident. The horse Trask was riding was stabbed by a pig, causing him to slam his neck, hurt badly and crawl home. In spite of the pain and long time in bed, Trask continued to work in the fields. Excessive activity has bent the spine of a man. Trask's body bent forward, pulling his head toward his chest.

Trask painting in 1833 before the accident.(Photo: showhistory).

In the following years, successive disaster strikes, the Trask condition becomes even more serious. He fell into a hay truck in 1840 and broke 4 ribs and clavicle due to flying out of the carriage in 1840. On May 24, 1858, the ill-fated farmer smacked his head on the iron bar on the door of the car, suffered a stain. The wound is longer than 12cm reaching the skull. At this time, Trask's spine distorted so much that he pushed his chin close to his chest, obstructing breathing. The doctors said Trask died the next morning, but the patient woke up and went back. Even so, the Trask body was disabled. He met 22 doctors who wished to treat them but had no results.

Once described as muscular, chest-blooming, broad-shouldered and extremely healthy, Trask is now weak, constantly stumbling. He could not lift his head up and down, left and right without moving his body. The back and upper spine are completely stiff. Height decreased from 1.85m to 1.48m and weighed only 61kg instead of 90kg.

Trask with folded back and chin back to chest.(Photo: Showhistory).

Throughout his life, Trask relied on his wife's care. Physically limited, he still gave birth to 7 children. To earn a living, Trask took advantage of his curiosity and entered the circus with the nickname "extraordinary handicap" and built a bit of reputation.

In 1860, Trask published the book Outline of Life and Pain of Leonard Trask, the extraordinary handicap, telling himself. The work is judged to be both entertaining and bitter with the passage:

"I would like to thank you, sympathizers

Because of support and decent cover

Just that, I'm happy

Farewell and pray for you to be well "

On April 13, 1861, Trask died. Years later, medicine concluded that he had ankylosing spondylitis (AS). This is a chronic inflammation associated with HLA-B27 gene factor, mainly damaging the spine and large joints along the trunk axis such as knee and groin. AS also damages the eyes, heart, and lungs. Severe cases like Trask lead to spinal deformities. The disease affects only 0.5-1.9% of the population and is common in men aged 20-30. "Extraordinarily disabled guy" became the first AS case recorded in the United States.