Spring 2021

In the Victorian era it was common for “Human Curiosities” to be put on display as part of the circus side-show.   Some of the performers were there by choice and were quite successful at monetizing their visible differences and achieved fame, legitimacy, and respectability; whereas, others were exploited by promoters and forced or coerced into performing.  Oftentimes these performers were viewed with a sense of wonder and not much thought was put into the physiology underlying their differences.  By the 19th century, these side shows provided a bulk of the circus revenue.   Today we do not label these conditions as “oddities” or “curiosities”.  It is well accepted that each of these conditions has a very specific physiological explanation.  For our contribution to the museum, Dr. Arnold's Anatomy and Physiology 202 class will be exploring the physiology that underlies these performers' “curiousness” and how current medical practices would treat the various conditions.  We also reflected on the lives of these performers and how we as society view physiological differences and how that has evolved from the Victorian era.