William Thomas (W.T.) Sapp was born in Lebanon, Kentucky, in 1854, one of five children. At the age of 7 he began to experience immobilization of the joints and by age 10 he had ossified completely, with use of only his left hand and shoulder, allowing him to write and to feed himself. Despite being severely handicapped, Sapp was said to be a well-adjusted, intelligent man, "an encyclopedia in a baby carriage". Though one photo (left) shows him sitting upright, Sapp spent most of his time lying on his right side (below), which caused his side to become totally flat. He died in Albuquerque, New Mexico, in 1901, after 36 years of exhibition. He was said to weigh only 40 pounds.Left: W.T. Sapp, from Very Special People by Frederick Drimmer (Hertzberg Circus Collection, San Antonio Public Library). Below: "Muscular atrophy associated with nondevelopment", Gould & Pyle, 1896.