Tree Man - Half Man Half Tree Skin Disorder

Tree Man - Half Man Half Tree Skin Disorder

by Liv | Published on March 16th, 2007, 4:44 pm | Science

Remember that time I had rice growing out of my arm? This is freaking freaky people!

I found this man, and other than his hands and feet, he looked and seemed in good health. As best as I could gather these growths began when he was 14 years old, and began in the area of his wrists. The skin on his wrists and the back of his hands resembles that of a hedgehog - hundreds of spike like growths. The problem is much more severe on his palms and fingers where the growths resemble very much that of nails infected with a fungus. The growths have that same texture, smell and feel. I cut a number of the largest growths off, most of witch did not bleed. Some of the smaller growths did bleed a small amount and he seemed much more sensitive to the cutting of the smaller growths. I soaked his hands first in 3 WEA (phenyl mercuric nitrate) and then began. The 3 WEA did help to soften the growths but they still took time to cut through, or sand down, but it worked just as it does with these types of nails on normal hands or feet. I was able to pull many of the smaller growths off applying steady pressure and slowly pulling. But after 1.5 hrs there was not a noticeable change as there are hundreds and hundreds of growths. There was also quite a bit of dissolved material in the bucket of 3 WEA after we finished.

On his feet I did not cut anything, but tried two different solutions of salicylic acid, one a bit weaker than the other, and also a freeze spray wart remover.

I met his mother and brother (they all live together) and their skin looked very normal. They all eat the same foods and he and his brother sleep in the same bed.

It has grown slowly but steadily but has not spread to other parts of his body, just a bit below his knees on his legs. He has other skin growth (many would be skin tags) on his face, and some moles on his chest. The growths are not as bad on his feet but I was told that more than 10 years ago many we cauterized off his feet, and they did not return. I think with repeated soaking and cutting most could be removed but other parts will I think need to be burned away in some form."

These are warts caused by the Human Papilloma Virus. He may have a genetic deficiency in a white blood cell. It can be treated with Vitamin A. See Dr. Gaspari - Dede -half man half tree - Malaysia.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jh ... ree112.xml

His opportunity for treatment has been halted by Indonesian fears of big medicine.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/health/main. ... max103.xml

Now the story is about how politics impacts people’s lives; how bureaucratic concern obliterates the individual. A row has erupted because Dr Gaspari has taken Dede’s blood samples back to his laboratory in the United States in an attempt to research a cure.

But Indonesia’s health minister, Siti Fadilah Supari, argues that developing nations risk exploitation unless they maintain control over their virus strains. Indeed, previously she has refused to share bird flu samples with other countries in case they use them to produce expensive vaccines.

Dr Gaspari, desperate to help Dede, has offered to put it in writing that the samples were not for commercial use, explaining: “We did it for humanitarian reasons, to help the patient.”

"Hey that's our disease - you can't have it"

New pictures on the Telegraph showing The Tree man's progress....

Here's the before picture:

and now...