Robert Pershing Wadlow

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Image:Wadlow.jpg Robert Pershing Wadlow (February 22, 1918 – July 15, 1940) was and is the tallest human recorded in modern times. Wadlow reached 8 ft 11.1in (272cm) in height, it is said that he was still growing prior to his death, and 490 pounds (222 kg/35 stone) in weight before his death at the age of 22. His great size and his continued growth in adulthood were due to a tumour within his pituitary gland.

1 Early life
2 Later years and death
3 Today
4 See also
5 References
6 Further reading
7 External links

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Early life

Wadlow was born to Harold Franklin and Addie (Johnson) Wadlow in Alton, Illinois on 22 February, 1918, at the weight of 8lb, 6oz (3.80 kg) and normal height. He was the oldest of five children; his younger siblings were Helen Ione, Eugene Harold, Betty Jean, and Harold Franklin II. His height increased normally until he was four years old. He then started attracting attention due to his rapid growth. By the age of eight, he was 6ft2 (188 cm) tall. At 10, he was 6 ft 6in (198 cm) and 220 pounds (100 kg). At the age of 14, he became the world's tallest Boy Scout at the height of 7 ft 4in (224cm), averaging a growth of four inches per year since birth; at that time he wore size 25 shoes.

At 16, Wadlow was 7 ft 10.5in (240 cm) tall and weighed 365 pounds (166 kg). At 17, he weighed nearly 400 pounds (180 kg) and was 8 feet 1.5 inches (248 cm) tall. By age 18, Wadlow had grown to be 8 ft 4 in (254 cm) and weigh more than 390 pounds (26 stone/177 kg); his size 37AA shoes (about 19.3in or 49cm), were provided to him free of charge. In 1936, after graduating from Alton High School, he enrolled in Shurtleff College with the intention of studying law. By 1937, Wadlow had exceeded all previous recorded human heights. At 19, he was 8 ft 6in (260 cm) and weighed 435 pounds (31 stone/197 kg).

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Later years and death

Image:Robert Wadlow at 10, Edwardsville Intelligencer (Edwardsville, Illinois), 1928 March 17.png Wadlow's size began to take its toll: he required leg braces to walk, and had little sensation in his legs and feet. At 21, he reached 8 ft 8.5in (265cm) tall. On his 22nd birthday, he was 490 pounds (35 stone/222.7 kg) and 8ft11in (272 cm) tall.

In his time, Wadlow was among the most popular of American celebrities; he was well-known due to his 1936 U.S. tour with the Ringling Brothers Circus and his 1938 promotional tour with the International Shoe Company. He continued participating in various tours and public appearances until his death.

On 4 July, 1940, Wadlow was hospitalised in Manistee, Michigan while making a professional appearance at the National Forest Festival in Manistee; a faulty brace had irritated his ankle, causing a blister and bad infection. Doctors treated him with blood transfusions and emergency surgery but his fever only worsened. On 14 July, his condition was said to be "very grave" and he was using a feeding tube. His temperature never dropped below 106 °F (41 °C) during that day.

At 12:40pm on 15 July, 1940, he died in his sleep. He was buried in Oakwood Cemetery in upper Alton on 19 July. His half-ton casket required a dozen pallbearers and eight other men to carry. On the day of his funeral, all city businesses were closed out of respect. Around 40,000 people attended his funeral.

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Today

In 1985, a life-size bronze statue of Wadlow was erected at the Southern Illinois University Edwardsville School of Dental Medicine. To this day he is still affectionately known as the "Gentle Giant."

Gigantism, the disorder Wadlow suffered from, does not attack the entire body. Usually it involves only the lower extremities, so that in most cases the head and trunk are of more or less normal size while the lower torso and legs attain extreme proportions.

Robert Wadlow, as well as other "giants" had a pituitary gland tumor that excreted large amounts of growth hormone resulting in what doctors describe as acromegalic gigantism. Death is usually a result of heart complications due to a large volume of blood having to be circulated

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