A teenage boy who had a tail growing above his buttocks – a thing which caused him grief, has finally had some respite. The lad was even being worshipped as the incarnate of the Hindu monkey god, Hanuman, in his village because of the condition.
The 18 year old Indian teen has had a 7-inch tail growing on his buttocks since he was just a little child. However, the young lad has finally had his tail removed after
According to The Sun UK, neurosurgeons successfully took away the seven inch growth – the longest ‘human tail’ ever recorded.
The 18-year-old, who cannot be legally named, was admitted to the government Super Specialty Hospital, in Nagpur, India, on September 29.
Dr Pramod Giri, head of the neurosurgery department, said:
“The patient was born with this congenital deformity. “Though the family knew about this unusual growth, they did not see a doctor due to the social stigma and superstition attached to it.
“His family and neighbours thought he was an incarnation of Monkey God Hanuman, so they never looked at it as a disease.“It was only the boy grew up and started facing problems, they got to know that this is a deformity.”
Dr Giri continued: “Generally, the defect is detected very early as it is present from birth and since it grows with age it cannot remain undetected.
“But the parents as well as the child hid the fact all these years.
“The defect can be surgically corrected within few months of birth. Ideally, the growth should have been removed within five years of age.”
Human tails can affect bladder functioning and the lower limbs and legs, and the teenager was not able to sleep or sit properly.
Dr Divik Mittal, assistant professor at medical college and hospital, said:
“As the size of the tail grew over the years, a bone developed inside it that began to press on the boy’s back.”
A team of six doctors, headed by Dr Giri, operated on the boy in an hour long surgery on Monday. The teenager, who will be discharged later this week, has spoken of his delight after the surgery.
He said:
“I feel liberated now as I am not a Monkey God anymore. Now, there won’t be any queue of superstitious people in front of my house.
“I hated being called or likened with the Gods anyway.”
According to the Indian Association of Pediatric Surgeons, there have been six such cases in the country.
