BIHIR, INDIA–A girl born with a full extra set of limbs is believed by some to be the reincarnation of the many-limbed Hindu goddess Lakshmi who the child is named for.
Little Lakshmi Tatma will undergo a 40-hour operation to remove the extra limbs. The girl was born joined to a “parasitic twin.” Thirty surgeons will assist Dr Sharan Patil in the removal of the child’s two useless arms and legs. Lakshmi’s parents, Poonam Devi and Shambu Das, earn very little as labourers and were turned away from several hospitals before Dr. Patil volunteered to help. Without the operation the little girl would never be able to walk or crawl and would be unlikely to live past her early teens, according to doctors.
Lakshmi was born on the day devoted to the celebration of the four-armed Hindu deity Lakshmi. Her mother Poonam Tatma says she believes her daughter is “a miracle, a reincarnation” of the goddess.
Filed under: Health, News Headlines | Tagged: 8-limbed girl, India, parasitic twin
wow!its kind a amazing,so many believed that it was a reincarnation of a goddess,but my question is what does scientists says regarding this matter?and also other medical experts?having this kind of human extra-ordinary proportion,does it threat anyone specially the one having it?What could be some of its implications?thanks a lot………
Doctors viewed the condition as perilous. She had the extra limbs removed last year.
Thanks for the visit!
there was a little boy born in india (what is it with india?) born with the same kind of condition. the extra limbs are really just a twin that didn’t detach or develop completely inside the womb.
I watched the national geographic documentary on the girl’s story tonight. It was so amazing. Dr. Patil has the heart of an angel. They showed the undeveloped twin once it was removed during the operation. It had been attached to her upside down and headless…plus other missing vitals.
I was surprised to learn the family didn’t return to the village. They moved a thousand miles away so Lakshmi could go to a special school.
I’ll have to look up the boy. Can’t find an 8-limbed boy god.
One of the things that was impressive about the girl’s village is that the leaders and the parents wanted what was in the child’s best interest in spite of their complete conviction that this was a reincarnation. They embraced what science and medicine had to offer (unlike some I know that think fossils are the devil’s handiwork.)