"There are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio, than are dreamt of in your philosophy." So goes the classic line in William Shakespeare’s Hamlet. It was not referring to medical conditions, but it might as well have been talking about them. For there are some strange things occurring in human bodies, some so bizarre that they become part of medical history.

Folklore is rife with examples of conditions that may have inspired legends. Historians believe stories like the legend of werewolves may, in fact, allude to people who suffered from a peculiar affliction that caused them to grow hair all over their bodies. Tales of monsters haunting the woods may have been people suffering from acute leprosy and forced to live outside of villages.

And certainly there are conditions that have inspired film and television writers to create shows or even entire series based on afflictions. Who can forget The Elephant Man as one prime example of a human afflicted with the disease now known as Proteus syndrome?

There Is Help

Fortunately, there are medical institutions that will work with patients who have trouble getting a proper diagnosis for their conditions.

The National Institutes of Health established a special division in 1998 to examine previously undiagnosed illnesses. These are conditions that have baffled conventional medicine, and the NIH seeks to uncover their causes and potential cures. They offer financial aid for travel and expect the patient to submit to batteries of tests to determine the probable cause of their peculiar condition.


At the Mayo Clinic, there’s the Individualized Medicine Clinic, which personalizes care for patients with odd conditions by using genomic testing. There’s also the National Organization for Rare Disorders (NORD), which unites more than 130 nonprofit voluntary health organizations that work to help those who have rare disorders.

What qualifies as a rare disorder? Usually something that hasn’t been covered in the medical books. It appears in a lone individual and usually works its way up the medical food chain, moving from local doctor to regional hospital to university institution to national health clinic, increasingly drawing in specialists and teams of medical professionals who may be able to determine the root cause of the problem.

Remember the Patient

Keep in mind that a rare diagnosis – or none at all -- takes a tremendous toll on patients and their families. The afflicted deserve compassion -- their quality of life and daily activities are usually curtailed by their condition. Many of them have been to countless doctors and have undergone a long series of ineffective treatments, which can lead to frustration, depression and financial hardship.

Worse, in some cases, there is still no cure, leaving the patient only with the hope that science someday may stumble upon a cure for their affliction or condition. The great hope is genetic testing. As science increasingly maps and understands the complex interactions between damaged or mutated genes, the hope is that we can begin to devise cures for some of the most exotic conditions.

But pharmacological cures are few and far between because the market for extremely rare conditions makes it unprofitable for research companies to invest time and resources in a cure. Even relatively prevalent problems like Lyme disease have suffered because of the lack of a market – imagine if you have something that only a handful of people have ever experienced.


Here are seven strange diseases or conditions that are not in the usual order of complaints and sometimes baffle doctors who are presented with the patient.

1. Morgellons Syndrome: Recently in the public spotlight when singer Joni Mitchell revealed her affliction, Morgellons Syndrome can make a person feel stinging, biting or crawling sensations in various parts of their body and sometimes may actually manifest bumps under the skin. Many patients exacerbate the problem by scratching the afflicted areas, creating wounds that can lead to infections or scarring. Science is still unsure if it is a physical or psychological problem. Those who believe it is psychological refer to the latter as delusional parasitosis. There is currently no cure for Morgellons Syndrome, and it curtails the enjoyment of life for those who suffer from it.
2. Emotional Collapse Syndrome - Also called cataplexy, this is a spontaneous incident of muscle weakness that leads to a sudden collapse. There is no one type of stimulation that leads to the collapse, and sufferers may react to anger, laughter, happiness, terror or embarrassment before hitting the floor. Obviously, there is a tremendous risk of injury if the person afflicted hits his or her head on an object or the floor or is operating a moving vehicle when an incident occurs.
3. Foreign Accent Syndrome - Although often mocked as an affectation when employed by celebrities who have been briefly immersed in British culture (see: Madonna), this affliction can be the result of a stroke or traumatic brain injury. That’s when an individual may begin speaking with a previously undisclosed foreign accent when attempting to communicate.
4. Alien Hand Syndrome - This is a condition in which the hand starts acting uncontrollably, sometimes choking or punching its owner. Many times, this was mistaken for demonic possession in less enlightened times but is now believed to be caused by brain trauma or stroke. It can be extremely dangerous for the hand’s owner, and many have suffered serious injury from its consequences.
   

5. Restless Genital Syndrome - Barroom jokes aside, this condition leaves its victim in a constant state of sexual arousal and stimulation that may manifest itself at inopportune moments, such as being called to the front of a business meeting. This can affect men or women, and there is no cure.
6. Hair-Pulling Disorder: The clinical name is Trichotillomania, but it is commonly referred to as hair-pulling disorder. Sufferers have a constant urge to tug or pull out their hair, which can create numerous bald patches. The most extreme cases will pull out hair and then chew on it or eat it. This debilitating condition, which is related to anxiety, often leaves its sufferers house-bound.
7. Music-Induced Seizures - The afflicted person hears a particular tune and has something akin to an epileptic seizure. Some victims may even get the seizure if they think about the triggering song. Doctors are not sure what causes the problem, but imagine if you’re triggered by a song like “Happy Birthday,” which can occur in almost every public setting.

There are many other strange conditions, including people who cannot sleep, have no reaction to cold weather (or conversely, suffer extreme pain when exposed to cold), may constantly hiccup, experience extreme bone growth, have their memory totally erased or can’t open their eyes for several days at a time.

Unless genetic testing finds a way to bring relief or some other cure emerges, victims have no other choice but to learn to cope with their condition.