Bizarre Medicine Trivia Quiz

Answer: human papilloma virus (HPV)

HPV is also the leading cause of cervical cancer in women.

Herpes simplex viruses cause blisters in/around the genitals and mouth.

Rhinoviruses are the group of viruses that cause the common cold.

Tobacco mosaic virus gives tobacco leaves a mottled appearance, and was the first virus to be isolated.

Answer: In 2004, a 15 year old girl became the first person ever to survive rabies without a vaccine.

Fifteen year old Jeanna Giese was the first human to ever survive rabies without receiving the rabies vaccine. If a person receives the vaccine within a very short time of being bitten, his/her chances of survival are good. However, once symptoms appear death will follow within 24-72 hours.

Answer: attached to the liver

Roughly one out of every 100,000 pregnancies will escape the Fallopian tube and develop somewhere in the abdomen. Most of these pregnancies do not make it to term. In all, only 14 cases of babies developing this way have been documented.

Answer: fused legs that resemble the tail of a mermaid

Shiloh Pepin, known as the Mermaid Girl from Maine, became the face of Sirenomelia after TLC featured her story. An intelligent and vivacious young girl, Shiloh was one of only 3 children with Sirenomelia to live without separation of the conjoined legs. Sadly, Shiloh passed away at age 10 in October of 2009 after battling pneumonia.

Answer: a fir tree that had begun to germinate

Upon discovering the tree inside the man's lung, doctors surmised that he had somehow inhaled a fertilized seed. After settling in the man's lung tissue, the tree began to germinate causing the extreme pain and the coughing up of blood.

Answer: Munchausen syndrome

The illness was named for Baron Munchausen, an eighteenth century German who told wildly exaggerated stories of his exploits. Sufferers from the syndrome may create their symptoms, or exaggerate them, to gain attention. Munchausen syndrome by proxy is a similar situation, but involving another person, often the sufferer's child. Alzheimer's is a form of dementia. Tourette syndrome is a neuropsychiatric illness characterised by tics and uncontrollable verbal outbursts. Klinefelter's syndrome affects only men, who have an extra X chromosome.

Answer: uterus didelphys

Uterus dideplhys, didelphys meaning two uteruses, affects roughly 1 out of every 3,000 women, and the condition is normally not known until the woman is medically examined. Women with a didelphyic uterus are usually able to deliver healthy babies, although approximately 67.5% of these babies are a few weeks premature.

Answer: lipodystrophy

Lipodystrophy is a rare condition in which the body produces roughly six times the normal amount of insulin. Sufferers may eat constantly and not gain any weight.

Answer: the absorption of one fraternal twin by the other fetus

Genetic chimerism is quite rare, with only about 35 cases known in the United States. Doctors feel that the condition may be more common that we know because genetic testing is not commonly done. Two highly publicized cases are those of Karen Keegen and Lydia Fairchild who both almost lost their children when it was shown they were not genetic matches. Only through futher testing were the children revealed to be matches.

Answer: pica

The strange cravings associated with pica are usually thought to be the result of mineral deficiencies, however no real cause or cure has ever been determined. All sorts of interesting items have been recovered from the stomachs of individuals with pica including safety pins, razors, pounds of toilet tissue, keys, and bits of plastic.