Rosa Lee Plemons

Faline · #1 08-05-2012, 09:58 AM

Quote:

Thin women have never been as popular as thin men on the sideshow/dime museum scene; only a handful have ever been exhibited, and none of these gained the widespread fame and fortune of their male counterparts. A notable thin woman was Rosa Lee Plemons, who has been immortalized in Gould and Pyle's Anomalies and Curiosities of Medicine, and who may indeed have been the most emaciated adult ever exhibited before the public. She still holds the Guinness World Record for the lightest average-height adult in history.
Rosa Lee was born in Tulane County, California, in 1873, weighing just one pound at birth. At the age of 19 Rosa was kidnapped from her father and taken on a tour of the United States. A man claiming to be her father told the public he was exhibiting her to earn money for her medical expenses. At the time, she weighed eighteen pounds and measured just over ten inches around the waist. Rosa's knees, ankles, wrists and elbows were permanently immobilized and she had only slight motion in her hips and shoulders. Eating was difficult for her as well; it took her caretaker between 30 and 60 minutes to administer a meal.

It is unknown what became of Rosa after her 1891 tour, but it seems unlikely she survived for much longer.

Sharon · #2 08-05-2012, 04:00 PM

Now she IS freaky

Tragic

King Herald · #3 08-05-2012, 05:45 PM

40 years later Europe was awash with people like that, mainly in places with Polish names, Auschwitz, Belzec, Treblinka, Krakow etc.

Rachee · #4 08-05-2012, 06:39 PM

Looks like CP

K9Grip · #5 08-06-2012, 02:18 AM

No quality of life for her.

Spiffyfable · #6 08-06-2012, 03:56 PM

For Gods Sake... Give Her Cake

r0tten · #7 08-07-2012, 11:42 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rachee

Looks like CP

That's what I was thinking. Poor thing, side shows are one thing but exploiting people who are mentally unable to consent is just horrible.

DiamondSmiles · #8 08-07-2012, 07:12 PM

Damn! They should have prosecuted the man who did that to her! I guess her father didn't fight to get her back.

Sad! Poor Rosa!

I thought my bones weighed about 100 pounds with no meat on them.

Are human bones really that light? She was 18 pounds at 19 years old!!!!

Rusty666 · #9 08-12-2012, 01:35 PM

Space Particle · #10 08-12-2012, 07:13 PM

That's horrible, she was sick. Back then they didn't know what the hell they were looking at.

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