The New Murrey and Blue blog

Why are hunchbacks always portrayed as evil….?

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hunchback

Well, it’s true. They are. And it’s wrong! A terrible injustice that I hope will soon be a thing of the past.

Shakespeare turned Richard into something ridiculously grotesque and over the top, yet the truth was that he suffered from scoliosis, a condition that would not even have been evident in his lifetime, except to anyone who saw him undressed. Usain Bolt has scoliosis. So did Richard III. No more need be said.

So how grossly unfair and cruel it is that those who have kyphosis (an abnormal backward curve of the spine) should be labelled in this superstitious, medieval way. This is the 21st century, for heaven’s sake.

The following article contains some thoughts on the matter.

http://www.abc.net.au/radionational/programs/bodysphere/why-are-hunchbacks-always-portrayed-as-evil/7685816

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  1. halfwit36 Avatar
    halfwit36

    Re Leviticus: The 21st chapter lists disqualifications for the high priesthood. They include being blind; having a ‘disfigured face’ (modern translation); having eczema/ringworm; one leg longer than the other; being a hunchback or a dwarf; having a fractured hand or foot or ‘damaged testicles.’
    In other words, many conditions that have always been considered misfortunes rather than evil, and some of which were temporary.
    Verses 22-23 read (in modern English):”He [the disfigured man] may from the most holy things and from the holy things. However, he must not come near the curtain, and he may not approach the altar….”
    In other words, he could not enter the Most Holy, and he could not be a High Priest. The High Priest apparently had to make a good appearance, as well as being of good moral character, but this was not required of ordinary people.
    Just wanted to set the record straight.

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    1. halfwit36 Avatar
      halfwit36

      Oops, I left out a word. “He may eat from the holy things….”

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  2. Laura State Spoelstra Avatar
    Laura State Spoelstra

    Other famous people with scoliosis: Michael Phelps, Alexander the Great, Elizabeth Taylor, and Princess Eugenie of York as well as the not-so-famous yours truly.

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    1. halfwit36 Avatar
      halfwit36

      Also my not-so-famous son. His curvature is higher than Richard’s was – between the shoulder blades – and is adult onset. At least, nobody noticed it when he was a teenager. The unevenness of the shoulders is noticeable when he is wearing a thin shirt and walking away, hardly at all from the front or when wearing a jacket or sweatshirt.

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  3. Laura State Spoelstra Avatar
    Laura State Spoelstra

    Oh, I left of Tutankhamun.

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  4. jrlarner Avatar
    jrlarner

    Kyphosis is not a backward curve, but a forward one (hyperflexion) – you might want to edit? 🙂

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    1. viscountessw Avatar
      viscountessw

      Oh, lord, jrlarner, I got the definition from Merriam & Webster: “abnormal backward curvature of the spine — opposed to lordosis.” But I’m sure your comment will give a heads-up to those in the know. Among whom I obviously do not number! Thank you for pointing it out.

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      1. jrlarner Avatar
        jrlarner

        Well, I just realised they may mean the curve protrudes backwards, which would, of course, be right but the spine is actually bent forwards

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  5. viscountessw Avatar
    viscountessw

    Even Merriam Webster can get it wrong!

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