# Could someone please tell me what I'm seeing here? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [June 2, 2010, 4:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-someone-please-tell-me-what-im-seeing-here/541607 "2010-06-02T04:44:06Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 14\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Shig](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/13edae/32.png) [@Shig](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shig)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2010, 4:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-someone-please-tell-me-what-im-seeing-here/541607/1 "2010-06-02T04:44:06Z")
I don’t know any foreign languages, and surely someone can explain. Fair warning- probably not a great link for the squeamish: [YouTube](http://www.youtube.com/watch#!v=B0rd_ISkS7g&feature=related) ---
**Author:** ![Electronic\_Chaos](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Electronic\_Chaos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Electronic_Chaos)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2010, 4:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-someone-please-tell-me-what-im-seeing-here/541607/2 "2010-06-02T04:49:26Z")
Looks like a baby with [harlequin type-icthyosis](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harlequin_baby). I believe the YouTube title says “Incredible alien baby,” but I can’t tell you what the narrator is saying. ---
**Author:** ![Shig](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/13edae/32.png) [@Shig](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shig)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2010, 5:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-someone-please-tell-me-what-im-seeing-here/541607/3 "2010-06-02T05:00:54Z")
Yeah, I understood the title. Thanks for the answer about the condition. Anyone know about life spans of such of babies born with this. Not to sound morbid or anything, but I’m a bit fascinated. I can’t imagine that that little person has much to live for, and I really don’t mean that in the horrible way I know it sounds. But wow, I’ve just never seen anything like it. ---
**Author:** ![matt\_mcl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/7ab992/32.png) [@matt\_mcl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/matt_mcl)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2010, 5:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-someone-please-tell-me-what-im-seeing-here/541607/4 "2010-06-02T05:07:16Z")
> [@Shig](#): > > Yeah, I understood the title. Thanks for the answer about the condition. Anyone know about life spans of such of babies born with this. Not to sound morbid or anything, but I’m a bit fascinated. I can’t imagine that that little person has much to live for, and I really don’t mean that in the horrible way I know it sounds. But wow, I’ve just never seen anything like it. Most babies die in very short order, for various reasons including stiffening of the chest wall impeding respiration or infections entering through the cracks in the skin. A tiny handful of people with the already extremely rare condition, however, are able to survive into adulthood by using a very strict regimen of care for their skin and intensive nutrition. A young woman in the UK is 26, and I remember reading about a young California man who even runs competitively. ---
**Author:** ![Shig](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/13edae/32.png) [@Shig](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shig)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2010, 5:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-someone-please-tell-me-what-im-seeing-here/541607/5 "2010-06-02T05:24:22Z")
> [@matt\_mcl](#): > > Most babies die in very short order, for various reasons including stiffening of the chest wall impeding respiration or infections entering through the cracks in the skin. A tiny handful of people with the already extremely rare condition, however, are able to survive into adulthood by using a very strict regimen of care for their skin and intensive nutrition. A young woman in the UK is 26, and I remember reading about a young California man who even runs competitively. Oh wow. So they do have eyes and can see? The baby didn’t appear to have eyes (functioning ones anyway), also didn’t seem to have actual hands. ---
**Author:** ![Pullet](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/edb3f5/32.png) [@Pullet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pullet)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2010, 5:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-someone-please-tell-me-what-im-seeing-here/541607/6 "2010-06-02T05:51:55Z")
It looks like his eyelids have inverted as the outer skin has hardened and drawn tight. It is possible he still has functioning eyes under there. His fingers are dying because the constricting skin on his fingers is cutting off the blood supply, hence the black color. This and parasites are my personal proof that a loving, Christian God does not exist. I hope this little guy gets the relief he needs, either in the form of medication or a quick death. ---
**Author:** ![ToeJam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/dfb087/32.png) [@ToeJam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ToeJam)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2010, 4:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-someone-please-tell-me-what-im-seeing-here/541607/7 "2010-06-02T16:16:29Z")
“and parasites”, really? I understand the first part, but the 2nd? Not a fan of Remoras, or ticks, or is it another specific parasite that you really dislike? And plus, there’s always mutualism, and commensalism too to balance out the parasitism. Not really looking for a theological debate or anything, just curious as to what aspect of parasitism helped convinced you of the no lcG to exist? ---
**Author:** ![Machine\_Elf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/82dd89/32.png) [@Machine\_Elf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Machine_Elf)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2010, 4:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-someone-please-tell-me-what-im-seeing-here/541607/8 "2010-06-02T16:46:48Z")
> [@Shig](#): > > Anyone know about life spans of such of babies born with this. Did you visit the Wikipedia link **Electronic Chaos** provided in the second post of this thread - immediately above the post in which you asked about life spans? Or [The NIH link](http://ghr.nlm.nih.gov/condition/harlequin-ichthyosis) (or any of the others) at the bottom of that Wikipedia page? Now that you know the name of the disease, there’s all kinds of information out there; [a Google search on “harlequin icthyosis”](http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&source=hp&q=harlequin+ichthyosis&aq=0&aqi=g10&aql=&oq=%22harlequin+ichthyosis%22&gs_rfai=C-hKbmIoGTIqzGJy2yAS3ltjvBgAAAKoEBU_QCVDu) turns up 129K hits. You’ve been led to water; now drink up. ---
**Author:** ![YogSothoth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/8edcca/32.png) [@YogSothoth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/YogSothoth)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2010, 5:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-someone-please-tell-me-what-im-seeing-here/541607/9 "2010-06-02T17:08:24Z")
AHHH!! HARLEQUIN BABY!!! x\_x ---
**Author:** ![MsChilePepper](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/3bc359/32.png) [@MsChilePepper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MsChilePepper)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2010, 8:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-someone-please-tell-me-what-im-seeing-here/541607/10 "2010-06-03T08:01:30Z")
> [@ToeJam](#): > > “and parasites”, really? I understand the first part, but the 2nd? Not a fan of Remoras, or ticks, or is it another specific parasite that you really dislike? Watch one or two episodes of “Monsters Inside Me” on Animal Planet and you’ll be on board with the parasite hate. **shudder** ---
**Author:** ![BunnyTVS](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/977dab/32.png) [@BunnyTVS](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BunnyTVS)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2010, 12:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-someone-please-tell-me-what-im-seeing-here/541607/11 "2010-06-04T12:33:45Z")
[This](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fkn0els5pa0&NR=1) was the next link on that youtube page. Please tell me it’s 'shopped. ---
**Author:** ![Sister\_Vigilante](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9de0a6/32.png) [@Sister\_Vigilante](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sister_Vigilante)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2010, 4:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-someone-please-tell-me-what-im-seeing-here/541607/12 "2010-06-04T16:30:01Z")
No, it’s not [shopped](http://www.patriciapiccinini.net/). ---
**Author:** ![RedSwinglineOne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/a9adbd/32.png) [@RedSwinglineOne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RedSwinglineOne)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2010, 7:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-someone-please-tell-me-what-im-seeing-here/541607/13 "2010-06-04T19:47:47Z")
There was a cable special about a girl like this called something like " born without a face." It appears she is still alive [five years later.](http://www.firstcoastnews.com/news/mostpopular/news-article.aspx?storyid=114372) ETA, while they look very similar, even more when she was young, they say she has Treacher Collins syndrome, so maybe they are not the same condition. ---
**Author:** ![matt\_mcl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/7ab992/32.png) [@matt\_mcl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/matt_mcl)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2010, 2:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-someone-please-tell-me-what-im-seeing-here/541607/14 "2010-06-05T02:55:42Z")
> [@RedSwinglineOne](#): > > ETA, while they look very similar, even more when she was young, they say she has Treacher Collins syndrome, so maybe they are not the same condition. Judging from the photos, that little girl is otherwise healthy; her condition concerns the bone structure of her face, not the skin of her whole body.