You may recall the case of Dede Koswara who was dubbed the "tree man" after he developed an unsightly amount of bark-like warts on his skin due to an immune deficiency that did not allow his body to fight off the human papilloma virus. As it turns out, he’s not the only one with this bizarre condition. Lin Tianzhuan, 38, is known in his town as "coral boy" for good reason. From Shuimen in southern China, he suffered a similar skin problem to Koswara—he began to develop shell-like growths on his skin beginning at age 13. The Telegraph reports:
"It started with a few hard bumps so I tried to apply antibiotics and creams but it didn't get better," he explained. "Instead it just got worse. They grew and grew and soon they were all over my arms and legs, my back and even my head. Ii was as if I was turning to stone and it was terrifying," he added. "Gradually my shell became thicker and thicker and I could no longer bend my arms or my legs. It was very frightening," Lin said. "If I had to go out I wrapped myself up in blankets because people would scream when they saw me," he added.
Fortunately, Tianzhuan has nearly recovered after receiving a year of radiotherapy treatment at Fuzhou Dermatosis Prevention Hospital. Related Content: Discoblog: Tree Found Growing In Man's Lung
Image: flickr/ cpjmazz
