The subjects of this disease
seldom reach five feet in height, and usually not more than four.
The word cretin is derived from the Latin creatura. They are
found all over the world. In Switzerland it is estimated that in
some cantons there is one cretin to every 25 inhabitants. In
Styria, the Tyrol, and along the Rhine cretins are quite common,
and not long since cases existed in Derbyshire. These creatures
have been allowed to marry and generate, and thus extend their
species. In "Le Medicin de Campagne," Balzac has given a vivid
picture of the awe and respect in which they were held and the
way in which they were allowed to propagate. Speaking of the
endemic cretins, Beaupre says: "I see a head of unusual form and
size, a squat and bloated figure, a stupid look, bleared, hollow,
and heavy eyes, thick, projecting eyelids, and a flat nose. His
face is of a leaden hue, his skin dirty, flabby, covered with
tetters, and his thick tongue hangs down over his moist, livid
lips; his mouth, always open and full of saliva, shows teeth
going to decay. His chest is narrow, his back curved, his breath
asthmatic, his limbs short, misshapen, without power. The knees
are thick and inclined inward, the feet flat.
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