Today it is hard to believe that human zoos and monstrous circuses existed until the middle of the last century.
Frequently the fate of the “artists” was unenviable. Often, they lived poorly in inadequate conditions, and the circus owners took the lion’s share of the profits. Surely, there was no question of quality medical care, although many felt the need for it. Not surprisingly, frequently “artists” die very early.
One happy exception to this background is the story of Myrtle, the “four-legged girl from Texas.” The child was born with an uncommon anomaly: she had two pairs of legs, the middle part of which was slightly shorter than the limbs. Myrtle struggled to walk because even one of her more developed legs didn’t respond well to her. At the same time, the girl had a very pleasant look, fair skin as well as delicate graceful features.
At the age of 13, Myrtle’s parents gave her to a traveling circus. The couple did not hope that their daughter would be able to marry, so they considered the circus the only opportunity to survive and feed themselves. Over time, the “four-legged girl” became so well-known that she had imitators as well as even fake doubles. However, it is not surprising that Myrtle earned a lot of money – several hundred dollars a week (in the modern world, this amount would be equivalent to 8-10 thousand).
However, life in the circus was a burden for the young girl, Myrtle had a modest character and did not like publicity. Regardless of the fears of the parents, the girl was not spared by the men either. At the age of 19, a young doctor asked for her hand in marriage, and Myrtle agreed. The husband tried to provide his wife with everything that she was deprived of in her youth. Already married, Myrtle was educated and acquired the skills as well as the manners of a true lady.
By the way, later the wife was able to give birth to her husband five perfectly healthy babies, who, to the surprise of the doctors, turned out to have two complete sets of reproductive organs, in addition to the legs. Sadly, Myrtle was widowed at only 41 years old. The woman returned to the show, which allowed her to earn enough to raise her children alone as well as provide them with an excellent education and start in life.
Myrtle passed away at the age of 60, surrounded by the love of her children and grandchildren. After that, several shows made an attempt to buy her body, but the children refused. They poured concrete over the grave of their beloved mother so that it would not occur to anyone to disturb her peace.