Definition Question: What is a Dwarf/Midget?

[Rubystreak]

I myself am rather short (5'0"), and sometimes hear the oh so humorous word "midget" to describe me. One such incident, where my friend insisted that I was actually on the border of midgethood, recently caused me to wonder what exactly is a "midget," technically? I figured that I'd discover that midgets were actually much shorter than I am so I could say HA! to him.

I quickly found out that the word "midget" is a pejorative term and that the word "dwarf" is preferred. The definition I found for what technically constitutes dwarfhood was someone who was 4'10" or shorter, though according to this website, most who suffer from achondroplasia (disproportionately short limbs), the most common form of dwarfdom, are around 4'0".

This website goes on to say that some dwarves are slightly taller than 4'10". Taller?!? Does this mean that I may be technically falling into the category of dwarf ever so slightly? Am I incorrect in thinking that centuries ago, people were shorter on average, and that it was far more common for people, especially women, to be shorter than 5'0"? So were those people dwarves, or does the definition change based on cultural norms? If/when I lose height in old age, will I then be considered a dwarf if I fall below 5'0"?

And lastly, should a person who is naturally just shorter than average, not due to any physiological defect, malnutrition, or hormone imbalance, but just through nature and genetics, be considered a dwarf? How short is short enough for dwarfhood, and how tall is too tall for such an appellation?

Thanks for any information. I may have to recant years of scoffing at the accusations of midgetdom. Sigh.

[Publius]

I'm afraid I don't know anything about how height plays into the definition, but I always thought there was in fact a substantive difference between being a "dwarf" and being a "midget" (apologies in advance to anyone those terms offend). In the case of a dwarf, as I understand it, certain body parts (especially the head, IIRC) are out of proportion to the rest of the body. A midget, on the other hand, is someone who is short but whose body conforms to more expected human proportions.

[Wendell Wagner]

Rubystreak, here's a recent thread in which we discuss this very issue:

http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/...hreadid=182638

Are you a woman? If so, you aren't even particularly short. The average height for an adult American woman is 5' 4.0". The average height for an adult American man is 5' 9.1". (And the averages aren't much different in other countries.) I continue to be amazed by the arrogance of people who are rather taller than the average height who think that there's something hilarious about people who are slightly short than the average height. There was a thread once where someone (a male, I think) who was 6' 5" commented that a certain famous singer was unbelievably short. This singer was, in fact, 5' 1". So a man who was almost 8 inches taller than average was saying that there's something odd about a woman who was about 3 inches shorter than average. Tell your so-called friends to stuff it with the comments on your height.

[Cillasi]

There are 2 major forms of dwarfism. I know the difference but not the proper medical terms for the conditions. Each is easy to identify.

One type of dwarf has abnormally short limbs but the torso is of normal size. The second type is a result of a curved spinal cord. Arms and legs are of normal length but the torso is shortened.

A midget (also called a proportionate dwarf if the condition is caused by a medical disorder), on the other hand, is perfectly formed but smaller than the average person. At a casual glance, it is easy to mistake a midget for a child. You will never mistake a dwarf for a child because their bodies are out of proportion.

The head, torso, arms and legs are the proportion indicators used to determine dwarfism.

[Philster]

Little People of America has a definiton/guide to help you out.

Midget refers to someone's height...which could just be someone born to be short from hereditary (short parents) or someone who had their growth stunted, but with a proportioned body.

Dwarfism refers to specific disorders that affect height, limb development and body proportion.

Look up Little People of America on Google.

(note: a woman who is 4'10" tall is just below average height...not a 'midget;, even by their definition.)

[Rubystreak]

I'm barely 5'0" and yes, I heartily agree that people who make much ado about height are ridiculous and annoying. As I told my friend, height jokes are the apotheosis of juvenile humor; even fart jokes rank higher on the Humor Hierarchy.

I'm still not entirely clear about how one becomes defined as a dwarf. From the LPA site:

"Little People of America (LPA) defines dwarfism as a medical or genetic condition that usually results in an adult height of 4'10" or shorter, among both men and women, although in some cases a person with a dwarfing condition may be slightly taller than that."

OK, so my grandfather, whose build I inherited, was about 5'2". Does that count as a "genetic condition" that made me short, or do they mean a genetic defect, such as an inherited disease or disorder that caused my shortness?

My parents took me to an endocrinologist when I was a kid to find out why I was so small. He said I was just very slow to develop; my bone development was several years behind what it should have been at my chronological age, but that there was nothing technically wrong with that. I hit puberty at 14, so I stopped growing, even though my bones were at my 11 year old stage of development. I imagine if I had 3 more years to grow, I'd have been normal height. Oh well.

If I shrink with age down to 4'10", will I then be considered a little person? This is not a facetious question.

[whiterabbit]

Oh boy, where to start.

[soapbox]

Doctors don't use the old midget=normally proportioned, dwarf=not normally proportioned definitions anymore. Hormone deficiencies are treated these days, so any pitiuitary dwarfs you see are probably going to be somewhat older people. While it's a very individual thing, midget is generally considered a very rude word. It's one of those words it's safer to avoid, frankly.

Achondroplasia is the most common out of the couple of hundred or so documented medical conditions that cause dwarfism. There are others, including mine, which is so rare that occurrence is less than one in a million. You're partly right, Cillasi, except that there's more than two types; I have longer arms and legs and a very short trunk. But when I sit down with somebody who is my height (4'2") who is an achon, they're taller than me. The variation in types is pretty amazing, actually.

If you're just short, then you're just short. There are people in the world who are just very short, but they don't have a medical problem. Don't worry about it, you don't automatically become a dwarf if you drop past the 4'10" line. (I'm wondering what's so bad about that in the first place, actually, unless it's because of midget jokes.)

LPA has all sorts of information. Check their site.

[/soapbox]

[AskNott]

A dwarf is a dying star.

A midget is a charming car once sold under the MG badge.

I am a guy who has to duck to keep from scuffing my head on things. I never make jokes about other people's stature; genetics is just not funny to me. Short jokes are like nigger jokes. You might as well make fun of the folks born in November. Pointless.

[Wendell Wagner]

Rubystreak,

How tall are your parents? I've been told the best way to predict how tall the children of two people will be is the following:

For a woman, subtract five inches from the father's height. Average this height with the mother's height.

For a man, add five inches to the mother's height. Average this height with the father's height.

This will usually get you within a couple inches of the adult height of the child. It nearly always gets you within six inches of the adult height. I would say that if someone's adult height is more than eight or ten inches off in either direction, there's probably a medical condition.

[Publius]

Originally posted by whiterabbit
Oh boy, where to start.

[soapbox]

Doctors don't use the old midget=normally proportioned, dwarf=not normally proportioned definitions anymore. Hormone deficiencies are treated these days, so any pitiuitary dwarfs you see are probably going to be somewhat older people. While it's a very individual thing, midget is generally considered a very rude word. It's one of those words it's safer to avoid, frankly.

Sorry.

[DanBlather]

Originally posted by AskNott
I never make jokes about other people's stature; ...You might as well make fun of the folks born in November. Pointless.

Turkeys, Pilgrims, Eleventh-Monthers, I hate all of them and their smug four day holiday holier-than-thouness.