Photo: The skeleton of the Irish giant Charles Byrne in the London Museum
The genetic mutation, which first manifested itself 1,500 years ago, still causes the hereditary syndrome of gigantism in the same area of Northern Ireland
It was in this area that Charles Byrne, the most famous giant in the history of medicine, was born in 1761, writes journalist Jeremy Lawrence. Byrne was nearly 8 feet (243 cm) tall, made a living in street performances and died at 22, the article said.
“The modern 'race of giants' live compactly in a small area. Scientists are asking not to disclose its whereabouts, so that residents are not disturbed by onlookers,”the newspaper writes. Doctors studied four families that are carriers of the mutant gene, and found three people who did not suspect that they suffer from gigantism syndrome at an early stage.
"The cause of gigantism is a benign tumor of the pituitary gland, in which growth hormone is released in excess," the article says. The genetic mutation study was led by Martha Corbonites and published in the New England Journal of Medicine.
