# Nominations for "Most Hideous Disease"? (WARNING, TMI, gross-out, etc) **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [February 8, 2003, 10:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nominations-for-most-hideous-disease-warning-tmi-gross-out-etc/153699 "2003-02-08T10:24:11Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Ranchoth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ranchoth/32/1066_2.png) [@Ranchoth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ranchoth)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2003, 10:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nominations-for-most-hideous-disease-warning-tmi-gross-out-etc/153699/1 "2003-02-08T10:24:11Z")
For starters, if you opened this thread thinking “I’ll just take a peek, it can’t be that bad,” Don’t. Read another thread, mow the lawn, do ANYTHING but read any father. And WHATEVER you do, DON’T click on the links. Trust me. That being said… I’m working on a list of the most horrible diseases or conditions suffered by humanity, and I need a few more suggestions. And not just ones that are fatal, I’m talking about the aesthetically displeasing ones. The creepy ones. The major “Aaaagh!” factor ones. The first two contenders are: Tapeworm infestation…of the [brain.](http://www.scienceinafrica.co.za/2002/june/worm.htm) Which, at the very least, is easily treatable. The other is a condition which, although I’ve heard of it on the discovery channel and similar sources, I can’t find the name of. It’s a genetic disorder in which the connective tissues turn to bone. Does anyone remember the name of that one? Well, thanks for your time, and I deeply apologize in advance, Ranchoth ---
**Author:** ![j\_kat\_251](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/71c47a/32.png) [@j\_kat\_251](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/j_kat_251)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2003, 10:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nominations-for-most-hideous-disease-warning-tmi-gross-out-etc/153699/2 "2003-02-08T10:37:55Z")
Rectal prolapse. ---
**Author:** ![Cillasi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/71e660/32.png) [@Cillasi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cillasi)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2003, 1:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nominations-for-most-hideous-disease-warning-tmi-gross-out-etc/153699/3 "2003-02-08T13:56:14Z")
[http://elephantiasis.freeyellow.com/genital.gif](http://elephantiasis.freeyellow.com/genital.gif) no lie. How about this one. [http://elephantiasis.freeyellow.com/elephantiasis\_clip.mpeg](http://elephantiasis.freeyellow.com/elephantiasis_clip.mpeg) ---
**Author:** ![Fretful\_Porpentine](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fretful_porpentine/32/2873_2.png) [@Fretful\_Porpentine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fretful_Porpentine)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2003, 2:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nominations-for-most-hideous-disease-warning-tmi-gross-out-etc/153699/4 "2003-02-08T14:01:52Z")
Leprosy. The thought of your body rotting away _while you’re still alive_ is the creepiest thing I know. ---
**Author:** ![Mad\_Matt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a3d4f5/32.png) [@Mad\_Matt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mad_Matt)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2003, 5:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nominations-for-most-hideous-disease-warning-tmi-gross-out-etc/153699/5 "2003-02-08T17:38:32Z")
This site [http://asylumeclectica.com/malady/](http://asylumeclectica.com/malady/) contains some of the best contenders. Dracunculiasis (with pictures) looks horrible. If you make it to the bottom of the page, why not check out Leprosy, Smallpox, Rabies or some of the other more exotic complaints? ---
**Author:** ![sugaree](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/cc9497/32.png) [@sugaree](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sugaree)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2003, 6:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nominations-for-most-hideous-disease-warning-tmi-gross-out-etc/153699/6 "2003-02-08T18:08:37Z")
Ebola. Like internal leprosy on fast-forward. ---
**Author:** ![Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/earl_snake-hips_tucker/32/3269_2.png) [@Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Earl_Snake-Hips_Tucker)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2003, 6:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nominations-for-most-hideous-disease-warning-tmi-gross-out-etc/153699/7 "2003-02-08T18:12:17Z")
Your mystery disease mentioned in the OP was FOP: [http://www.casact.org/pubs/actrev/aug02/pursuits.htm](http://www.casact.org/pubs/actrev/aug02/pursuits.htm) ---
**Author:** ![Mirror\_Image\_egamI\_rorriM](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e56c9b/32.png) [@Mirror\_Image\_egamI\_rorriM](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mirror_Image_egamI_rorriM)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2003, 6:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nominations-for-most-hideous-disease-warning-tmi-gross-out-etc/153699/8 "2003-02-08T18:19:24Z")
Fibrodysplasia ossificans progressiva! I did a huge reasearch paper on that last year. Very interesting stuff. And while not hideous, is there anything more terrifying than losing your mind, like Alzheimer’s disease? ---
**Author:** ![Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/earl_snake-hips_tucker/32/3269_2.png) [@Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Earl_Snake-Hips_Tucker)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2003, 6:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nominations-for-most-hideous-disease-warning-tmi-gross-out-etc/153699/9 "2003-02-08T18:38:08Z")
Or ALS. Your mind is fully functional as you watch your body slowly deteriorate. (Stephen Hawking’s long survival–and I wish him many more years–is very uncharacteristic.) ---
**Author:** ![ultrafilter](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/3d9bf3/32.png) [@ultrafilter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ultrafilter)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2003, 6:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nominations-for-most-hideous-disease-warning-tmi-gross-out-etc/153699/10 "2003-02-08T18:39:20Z")
There’s some pretty nasty stuff at [http://www.rarediseases.org/](http://www.rarediseases.org/) ---
**Author:** ![Sunspace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sunspace/32/1250_2.png) [@Sunspace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sunspace)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2003, 7:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nominations-for-most-hideous-disease-warning-tmi-gross-out-etc/153699/11 "2003-02-08T19:19:24Z")
Yeah, ALS is pretty bad–I watched my mom die of it. The one that _really_ creeps me out is the “flesh-eating disease”. I had the bad luck to find pictures of it on the web \. ---
**Author:** ![Shoeless](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/shoeless/32/7099_2.png) [@Shoeless](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shoeless)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2003, 7:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nominations-for-most-hideous-disease-warning-tmi-gross-out-etc/153699/12 "2003-02-08T19:22:31Z")
The graphic descriptions of the effects of Ebola in the book “The Hot Zone” pretty much grossed me out… ---
**Author:** ![Earthworm\_Jim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/f07891/32.png) [@Earthworm\_Jim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Earthworm_Jim)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2003, 7:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nominations-for-most-hideous-disease-warning-tmi-gross-out-etc/153699/13 "2003-02-08T19:23:53Z")
Theres [harlequin ichthyosis](http://asylumeclectica.com/malady/archives/harlequin.htm). I can’t think of anything more “aesthetically displeasing”, as you say, than that. ---
**Author:** ![DoctorJ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/doctorj/32/2904_2.png) [@DoctorJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DoctorJ)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2003, 8:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nominations-for-most-hideous-disease-warning-tmi-gross-out-etc/153699/14 "2003-02-08T20:55:34Z")
From my web site: > [@](#): > > There is a long list of afflictions I hope to never suffer from personally, but chief among them is Fournier’s gangrene. > > Fournier’s is a rapidly progressive necrosis of the genitals and perineum. Fortunately, it is rarely seen outside the narrow demographic of 400-pound, poorly-controlled diabetics. Unfortunately, Kentucky is the 400-pound, poorly-controlled diabetic capitol of the world, so I saw not one, not two, but three cases of Fournier’s during my four weeks on Urology. > > The only treatment for Fournier’s is immedate debridement of all affected tissue. The operation itself is the sort of thing surgeons dream about–good, old fashioned cutting. Our surgery intern was allowed to be first assistant on the case; his reaction to this was not unlike how I might react if someone said, “Jonathan, Van Halen is playing in town tonight, but Eddie’s not feeling so hot. Can you cover for him?” > > Those of us less excited about surgery, however, would refer to a procedure like this as “really fucking disgusting”. The smell alone was the stuff of nightmares; surgeons walking into the OR area, two hallways away from where the procedure was taking place, would sniff the air and say, “Wow, who’s doing a Fournier’s?” > > As unpleasant as the procedure sounds, however, the post-op care is far worse. The wound is left open for a long time, as any further gangrenous areas will send the patient back to the OR. Even worse, however, is the fact that the patient is usually left without a scrotum. It will eventually be rebuilt by brave plastic surgeons, if the patient makes it long enough (most don’t), but in the interim, the boys are left hanging in the breeze. When the dressing on the wound is changed–a frightening enough prospect in itself–the testicles must be gingerly wrapped in gauze. > > As the medical student (that is, the “bitch”), my job twice a day was to assist with this production. That meant that twice a day–the first of which was often before I had even had my coffee–I had to go see two different patients and hold up their testicles while a resident gently bunched gauze around them. > > As I did it, I couldn’t help but think about how, someday, I’d be relating all of this to a psychiatrist. ---
**Author:** ![wdcsmwscaa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/bbce88/32.png) [@wdcsmwscaa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wdcsmwscaa)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2003, 10:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nominations-for-most-hideous-disease-warning-tmi-gross-out-etc/153699/15 "2003-02-08T22:26:26Z")
Beelzebubba– Holy crap. That’s terrible…I suppose it’s good that they die soon though…I can’t imagine having to live with that. ---
**Author:** ![yBeayf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/e274bd/32.png) [@yBeayf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yBeayf)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2003, 2:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nominations-for-most-hideous-disease-warning-tmi-gross-out-etc/153699/16 "2003-02-09T02:44:04Z")
**wdcsmwscaa** , I don’t remember the source (bad yBeayf!), but I read somewhere that the longest a child had lived with harlequin ichthyosis was around 4 years. If the child doesn’t die within the first few days after birth, the hard keratin plates slough off and leave behind raw dermis. ---
**Author:** ![Guinastasia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guinastasia/32/5751_2.png) [@Guinastasia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guinastasia)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2003, 9:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nominations-for-most-hideous-disease-warning-tmi-gross-out-etc/153699/17 "2003-02-09T21:17:43Z")
Whatever it was that the Elephant Man had. I saw a special on it once, and they had a bunch of people with it. I know this sounds nasty, but I was so grossed out by this one guy. EEEEWWWW ---
**Author:** ![raz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/9f8e36/32.png) [@raz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/raz)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2003, 9:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nominations-for-most-hideous-disease-warning-tmi-gross-out-etc/153699/18 "2003-02-09T21:45:33Z")
Oh my freaking God, **Beelzebubba** …wow that is disturbing. Oh man, that crap looks fake. That is so frickin’ weird. Those babies look like aliens. Now I’m scared! What if my future children have that shit? ---
**Author:** ![wdcsmwscaa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/bbce88/32.png) [@wdcsmwscaa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wdcsmwscaa)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2003, 11:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nominations-for-most-hideous-disease-warning-tmi-gross-out-etc/153699/19 "2003-02-09T23:27:13Z")
**yBeayf** – Do you happen to remember what happens with the eyes? that seems to be a very pressing problem in some of the cases… ---
**Author:** ![Enderw24](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ba9def/32.png) [@Enderw24](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Enderw24)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2003, 11:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nominations-for-most-hideous-disease-warning-tmi-gross-out-etc/153699/20 "2003-02-09T23:27:13Z")
My 6th grade teacher’s husband was a pediatrician. She had a book of his that showed pictures of nearly every birth defect and abnormality known. She wouldn’t let us look at too many of the pictures, because she said most of them were downright disturbing and would scare us out of ever having any kids. The one I remember best had a name somewhat like cyclops, this probably due to the fact that its two eyes were so close, they fused together in an oval shaped lump. Its nose was on its forehead like a work of Picasso. The lungs weren’t fully developed and it was unable to breath oxygen so it died shortly after birth. So I decided that maybe the teacher was right. Perusing the rest of the book might not have been the best decision. **DoctorJ** , that sure was a hairy situation. I’m glad you had the cajones to be able to (ad)dress him in a respectiful manner. At least you only had three patients and didn’t have to deal with four near yourself. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nominations-for-most-hideous-disease-warning-tmi-gross-out-etc/153699.md?page=2)