Gator
Gators Club
Posts: 4,865
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Post by Gator on Jul 25, 2018 23:03:26 GMT -5
Jane "Jinny" Bunford (1895)
Standing well over seven and a half feet tall, Bunford was twice recognized during her lifetime as the tallest person in the world. She is also believed to have had the longest hair, at 8 ft 1 in (2.5 m) long. Though she died in 1922, she was featured in the 1971 Guinness Book of World Records after her skeleton was discovered on display at Birmingham University. Bunford's height likely resulted from her pituitary gland secreting excessive growth hormones after what childhood accident?
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Nanna
Secretary of State Level 3
Posts: 183
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Post by Nanna on Jul 26, 2018 0:22:17 GMT -5
She was a quiet, shy child who enjoyed good health during the first 11 years of her life, while she was quite tall for her age, her growth rate was not unusual before her accident. In June 1906, she stood 1.52 metres (5 ft 0 in) tall.
In 1906, Bunford fractured her skull after falling off her bicycle and hitting her head on the pavement. It is believed that the injury permanently damaged her pituitary gland, releasing an excess of growth hormone which sent her growth out of control. The accident also indirectly led to her death.
At school she displayed a talent for embroidery, but was tormented after her accident. Also, the desks and chairs became too uncomfortable for her to sit at. As a result of both factors, Bunford's parents took her out of school close to her 13th birthday. On her 13th birthday she was measured at 1.98 metres (6 ft 6 in) tall.[2] At age 19 in 1914, she was measured at 2.33 metres (7 ft 8 in) tall. On her 21st birthday Bunford was measured at 2.39 metres (7 ft 10 in) tall, her peak standing height.
Bunford rejected several opportunities to benefit financially from her size and appearance. She had straight long auburn hair. In her final years Bunford became a recluse. She hated the attention her size brought her, and her spine developed a severe curvature. Because of this, Bunford could not stand fully erect towards the end of her life. Shortly before her death, Bunford was measured at 2.31 metres (7 ft 7 in) tall. It was estimated that she would have been 2.41 metres (7 ft 11 in), if she had not developed the spinal curvature.
Bunford died at her home in Jiggins Lane on 1 April 1922. According to her death certificate, Bunford died of hyperpituitarism and gigantism.[5]
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