Did you know that there’s a rare syndrome-- fibrodysplasia ossificans progressiva—that can cause your bones to grow so uncontrollably that you become a “stone man”? That’s just one of the strange ailments described in the Hypochondriac’s Handbook, a new book chock-full of rare diseases. USA Today interviews author Ian Landau, but we’ve decided to cut to the chase and just list all the cool diseases he mentions. Like…
- Human Botfly Myiasis: Larvae grow below human skin, emerging as insects 6 to 10 weeks later.
- Guinea Worm Disease: Similar, only this time it’s a 3-foot-long worm growing in your foot.
- Alice in Wonderland Syndrome: A neurological disorder that causes objects to appear to be larger or smaller than they are
- Foreign Accent Syndrome: For example.
- Cutaneous Horn: A skin disease that causes actual horns to grow on your body.
- Human Werewolf Syndrome: Also known as “hypertichosis” or, in plain English, “excessive hair growth.”
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hypochondriac stories.)
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