Is there a hereditary factor in the human species, a dwarf gene, which could produce a nation of dwarfs? Are the stories of the Lilliputians based on fact?
These small people are quite a puzzle because they often appear in families of normal —size people.
Dwarfs have always aroused people's interest, wariness, and sometimes unkindness. Perhaps this is because there are many legends based on stories of small people who are spiteful, wild, sometimes evil, and often very cunning.
A dwarf is considered to be someone of adult age who is less than 1.30m (4ft) tall. Some babies are born normal size, which is about 50cm (20inches) long, but they do not develop normally. They may have a hereditary disease, passed on by the parents, which softens the vertebral column causing them to hunch up. This disease often affects the long bones, particularly those in the legs, which support the weight of the body.
What Causes Dwarfism?
A shortage of substances, such as iodine, produced by the thyroid (situated in front of the trachea in the neck), the pituitary gland (suspended from the base of the brain), or the pineal gland (just above the pituitary gland) can cause dwarfism.What Arrests Development?
The pineal gland, which affects both the pituitary gland and the thyroid, may also cause retarded growth.
Finally, there are dwarfs who are just 'small people' —and who are tiny at birth (some have been known to weigh 750g) and measure 16cm (6.5 in.). They grow normally, live as long as other people, and often have children el normal size.