In India, the birth of a baby with 4 arms and 4 legs arouses astonishment. If local media compare this “miracle of nature” to Lakshmi, the goddess of prosperity and abundance, it is actually a birth defect called polymelia. Explanations.
It’s with 4 arms and 4 legs that this baby was born on July 2, 2022, in Shahabad, in the state of Uttar Pradesh, India. Since his birth, the little boy has made headlines in the media, which then speak of a “miracle of nature”, even comparing him to the Hindu goddess Lakshmi. Represented with several members, this one refers to wealth, prosperity, fertility and power. But according to doctors, the Indian baby, weighing 3.5 kg, would be suffering from polymelia, a very rare congenital anomaly.
What is polymelia?
This disease refers to babies born with extra limbs. There are also different types of polymelia depending on the location of the limbs on the body. We speak of cephalomelia when the limbs grow on the head, pyromelia (from the pelvis), thoracomelia (from the thorax) and notomelia (from the spine). This genetic anomaly often leads to abnormal growth of the fetus, but this phenomenon is found more in animals as has already been observed in cows, chickens, frogs or even buffaloes.