Tiny Tim Cratchit is one of the most poignant characters in the history of Christmas literature and movies. For many people he is the very embodiment of physical disability, and few can forget his sweet and saintly disposition. He represented for author Charles Dickens the wretched state of children in Victorian England. What Dickens the wretched state of children in Victorian England. What actually afflicted this character, though, and made him dependent on that crutch and hideous frame of metal and leather on his legs and lower back?
Although Dickens never reveals specifically what ails the poor, undersized lad, medical experts generally have three opinions. Tiny Tim possibly suffered from distal renal tubular acidosis (Type I), a disorder that is characterized by growth failure, and, left untreated, will result in fractures, muscle weakness, and ultimately kidney failure and death. This is an uncommon disease. The two other possibilities were much more prevalent at the time that Dickens wrote his classic holiday tale. Rickets, a vitamin D deficiency, would have resulted in Tiny Tim’s soft bones, muscle weakness, and stunted growth. It has also been speculated that Tiny Tim was afflicted by Pott’s disease, which is tuberculosis of the spine.
Thanks to the reformed Scrooge’s redemptive revelations, Tiny Tim is granted a new lease on life and given the opportunity to celebrate Christmases Yet to Come. “God bless us, every one!”
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"What was wrong with tiny Tim in a Christmas carol?" was posted on Thursday, May 8th, 2008 at 11:04 pm.