Different colours
Hena Tayeb’s blog post on Monday presented interesting synopses of ten books, one of which introduced me to people I’d never heard of. The central fictional character of ‘The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek’, has blue skin and the story relates her life as a librarian, taking books by mule to isolated communities. It is a novel, which Hena says she found quite clichéd but which led her to investigate the phenomenon of the Blue People. I followed her example.
The ‘Blue Fugates’ also known as the ‘Blue People of Kentucky’ were founded in 1820. A Frenchman named Martin Fugate moved to Kentucky and met and married a woman called Elizabeth Smith. They both carried a very rare recessive gene for methaemoglobinaemia, though it is said that Martin Fugate had a blue tinge to his skin.
This gene results in reduced ability of red blood cells to carry oxygen. People affected exhibit blue skin and their blood appears brown.
The Fugate family had seven children, of whom four had blue skin. Living in a rural community with little contact with other communities and no good transport links, the gene pool was limited. Thus, intermarriage ensured that many descendants of the Fugates were born with congenital methaemoglobinaemia.
Although the condition can cause heart abnormalities and seizures if the rate of methaemoglobin is high, that is, more than 20%, most of those affected with a level between 10% and 20%, displayed the characteristic blue skin without other effects. Most of the Fugates lived healthily, marrying and having children with varying degrees of blue colouration or none.
As transport links developed and contact with unrelated communities increased, the gene pool was widened and the condition was seen less frequently. The condition has been seen in the Yakutsk people in Siberia, the Navajo and the Athabaskan Alaskans.
If the condition causes medical problems it can be treated.
Blue skin can be acquired through the injudicious ingestion of unregulated alternative medicines. In the case of Paul Karason, known as ‘the Blue Man’ or ‘Papa Smurf’, his purple-blue skin was caused by him taking colloidal silver to combat dermatitis, sinus problems and acid reflux.
I read this book as well, and enjoyed it. I had never heard of the blue people before, and it was a fascinating thing to read up on them. For all that reading, however, you introduced me to a brand new fact. I did not know that this condition had popped up in other populations.
ReplyDeleteFact-finding is interesting but sometimes ambiguous.
DeleteCrikey you learn something every day. Blue skin - well I never!
ReplyDeleteI know - whatever next?
DeleteI have read about the blue skin people before , but didn't know about Papa Smurf and the colloidal silver. It seems like an odd thing to take for those particular conditions.
ReplyDeleteBeware alternative medicines - and in any case, don't overdo them!
DeleteI've seen people with an almost blue tinge to their very white complexion. Rather interesting and thanks for the education.
ReplyDeleteWe had a child at school who had alabaster skin, very unusual and once envied in times long past. The little girl was bullied, sadly.
DeleteI enjoyed the follow up book "The Book -woman's Daughter which had a page explaining the skin colouring. Thank you for more information
ReplyDeleteThe information quickly becomes quite complex . . .
DeleteI've never heard of this before. So there was a real life Papa Smurf.
ReplyDeleteSelf-inflicted . . .
DeleteWhat a strange condition.
ReplyDeleteQuite rare and the chances of marrying someone with the same rarity are infinitesimal, I should think.
DeleteI learned about the blue people years ago. The smaller Appalachian Mountains are in southern Ohio and my father's family is from Kentucky.
ReplyDeleteBut I had forgotten this tidbit. Thanks.
I guess there are still many isolated communities in such a huge and diverse country as USA.
DeleteMy goodness, that was interesting. I never heard of people having blue skin!
ReplyDeleteIt is extraordinary , isn't it?
DeleteInteresting. All new to me. I thought it was just the grass that was blue in Kentucky!
ReplyDeleteCheers, Gail.
Ha ha!
ReplyDeleteI did read Hena's post too, and was intrigued by this book, particularly when I read that the Blue People actually existed. Thank you for sharing the results of your research! xxx
ReplyDeleteI thought there would be more online about them. Perhaps there is but I couldn't track it down. x x x
ReplyDeleteWhat an absolutely fascinating story Janice. Interestingly I read a similar book about a woman/librarian distributing books via horseback though not as far back in years. I must try & find that book again ... or remember what it was as it was such a wonderful read. xx
ReplyDeleteIt's strange to think of books being distributed by horseback, but I suppose it makes sense in rural, isolated areas.
ReplyDeleteThat is some blue skin! I had never heard of that before. Where do you find your tidbits?
ReplyDeleteI live in Bellingham WA, we had a man in town who was blue but it was to do with how he medicated himself. I saw him once in a store and thought at first that it was a light skinned black man standing in odd light. He died a while back. I will see if I can send more about him. He moved here because people are pretty open minded and he was not stared at. JanF
ReplyDeleteIt's good to hear that people can be open-minded and not judgemental.
DeleteYes, I found this. Also he is the same man in your photo! I am glad I got to see him. BTW I am originally from the W. Midlands. JanF
ReplyDeletehttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paul_Karason
You're a long way from home, though I suppose Bellingham is home now:-)
ReplyDelete