Troubled Facts About Schlitzie The Pinhead, The Original "Freak"
There’s always been something creepy about circuses. While most modern ones cater to family-friendly themes, circuses back in the day boasted the display of all things freaky and bizarre. Out of that center of weirdness and exploitation comes the strange, sad story of Schlitzie the Pinhead.
1. His Was A Mystery From The Start
Schlitzie’s entire origin story is full of conflicting accounts. Reportedly, he was born in either the late 1800s or early 1900s, possibly with the name "Simon Metz". Granted, medical practices didn’t come near the kind of record-keeping that exists in modern society, so that’s somewhat understandable. It's everything else that's a mystery.
The rest of his background gets less and less understandable the more you look at it.
2. He Had A Rare Condition
Most reports say Schlitzie was born with microcephaly, which made his head much smaller in proportion to the rest of his body. More than that, Microcephalics can also exhibit a conical shape on the crown of their head, which Schlitzie also had, and which ended up giving him his "Pinhead' moniker.
Still, when it comes to Schlitzie, that's just the beginning of the story.
3. The Reasons Behind It Could Be Tragic
Naming Schlitzie's condition, microcephaly, actually produces more questions than answers. It can be a symptom of many different, larger issues. One of them is genetics, but another is utterly tragic. Some microcephalics result from fetal alcohol syndrome, which could have happened in Schlitzie's own case.
We may never know, but there are clues his family was not good to him.
4. He May Have Had A Surprising Background
According to one source in particular, Schlitzie’s parents actually had great wealth, and could have had enough resources to properly care for their son. As we'll see, Schlitzie had mental difficulties and needed guardians to take care of him. Unfortunately, that's not at all what happened when it came to his mother and father.
