John Francis Carroll (1932 – August 8, 1969) was an American giant and one of 23 known people in medical history to have reached a height of . He suffered from severe,

2-dimensional In mathematics, a plane is a Euclidean ( flat), two-dimensional surface that extends indefinitely. A plane is the two-dimensional analogue of a point (zero dimensions), a line (one dimension) and three-dimensional space. Planes can arise as ...

spinal curvature (

Kyphoscoliosis Kyphoscoliosis describes an abnormal curvature of the spine in both a coronal and sagittal plane. It is a combination of kyphosis and scoliosis. This musculoskeletal disorder often leads to other issues in patients, such as under-ventilation of ...

) and

acromegalic Acromegaly is a disorder that results from excess growth hormone (GH) after the growth plates have closed. The initial symptom is typically enlargement of the hands and feet. There may also be an enlargement of the forehead, jaw, and nose. Other ...

gigantism Gigantism ( el, γίγας, ''gígas'', "giant", plural γίγαντες, ''gígantes''), also known as giantism, is a condition characterized by excessive growth and height significantly above average. In humans, this condition is caused by ove ...

. He had a standing height of on October 14, 1959, at age 27, but according to calculations, his height would have been , assuming normal curvature of the spine. In 1968, he was later measured at , having shrunk in stature due to his worsening spinal condition. Carroll was born in

Buffalo, New York Buffalo is the second-largest city in the U.S. state of New York (behind only New York City) and the seat of Erie County. It is at the eastern end of Lake Erie, at the head of the Niagara River, and is across the Canadian border from South ...

, and was known as the Buffalo Giant in medical literature. He was third in stature only to

Robert Wadlow Robert Pershing Wadlow (February 22, 1918 July 15, 1940), also known as the Alton Giant and the Giant of Illinois, was an American man who was the tallest person in recorded history for whom there is irrefutable evidence. He was born and raise ...

and

John Rogan John William "Bud" Rogan February 12 – September 11, 1905; some sources indicate 1867, 1868 and 1871 as his birth year) is recorded as the second-tallest person ever at , behind only Robert Wadlow. Biography John Rogan was born in Hende ...

. His extraordinary growth started at the age of sixteen. During his early life, his growth continued despite extensive treatments. At one point he grew in height in one year. As his condition worsened, his standing height decreased. He died on August 8, 1969, and was buried in Holy Cross Cemetery in

Lackawanna, New York Lackawanna is a Administrative divisions of New York#City, city in Erie County, New York, Erie County, New York (state), New York, United States, just south of the city of Buffalo, New York, Buffalo in western New York (state), New York State. T ...

References

1932 births 1969 deaths People from Buffalo, New York People with gigantism {{US-med-bio-stub

See also

References