Whenever you see a news story on deformed people, they always call them “medical” marvels or “medical” mysteries but rarely does the actual medical science behind these stories get as much coverage as the shocking photos/video or the sad backstory. They’re reduced to little more than an oddity to gawk at and thank God it ain’t you.

If you have any doubts to the voyeuristic nature of these so-called medical marvels, you need only browse the ABC News website where they have assembled these sad stories into a modern day sideshow (link). The photos are clearly picked for their shock value. And you won’t find any mundane medical marvels like Lance Armstrong with his super-sized heart (link) only, dare I say it, freaks.