What is the medical explanation for why the Fugate family of Troublesome Creek was blue?
What is the medical explanation for why the Fugate family of Troublesome Creek was blue?
The Fugate progeny had a genetic condition called methemoglobinemia, which was passed down through a recessive gene and blossomed through intermarriage. “It’s a fascinating story,” said Dr. Ayalew Tefferi, a hematologist from Minnesota’s Mayo Clinic.
Are the Blue Fugates still alive?
Isolation and in-breeding passed on the disorder. The last in the direct line of Fugates to inherit the gene was Benjamin “Benjy” Stacy, whose skin at birth was “as Blue as Lake Louise,” according to doctors at the time. He now lives in Alaska, according to Facebook.
Is Troublesome Creek Kentucky a real place?
Troublesome Creek is a real place in Breathitt, Perry and Knott counties. The Pack Horse Library Project was a real effort to bring books to Eastern Kentucky between the years of 1935-1943.
What is the reason that methemoglobinemia was isolated to Troublesome Creek area of KY?
“A rare but very noticeable condition of abnormal hemoglobin affects the “blue people of Troublesome Creek”. Seven generations ago, in 1820, a French orphan named Martin Fugate who settled in this area of Kentucky brought in an autosomal recessive gene that causes methemoglobinemia.
How does the book Woman of Troublesome Creek end?
The novel ends with a letter four years later from Cussy to Queenie, explaining how Honey is now four years old, and Jackson is out of jail but cannot live in Kentucky and so together the family is looking for a new place to live.
What is the pattern of inheritance for methemoglobinemia?
This condition is inherited in an autosomal recessive pattern , which means both copies of the gene in each cell have mutations.
Does the Fugate family still exist?
Benjamin Stacy, born in 1975, is the last known descendant of the Fugates to have been born exhibiting the characteristic blue color of the disorder, though he quickly lost his blue skin tone, exhibiting only blue tinges on his lips and fingertips if he was cold, or agitated.
How did Troublesome Creek get its name?
It is a tributary of the Colorado River. Troublesome Creek was named for the fact soldiers had trouble crossing it.
Where is Troublesome Creek located?
Kentucky
Troublesome Creek is a creek in Breathitt, Perry and Knott counties, Kentucky. The surrounding watershed is also named for it. The creek joins the North Fork Kentucky River downstream near the unincorporated community of Haddix.
What was the cure for methemoglobinemia?
Methylene blue is the primary emergency treatment for documented symptomatic methemoglobinemia. It is given in a dose of 1-2 mg/kg (up to a total of 50 mg in adults, adolescents, and older children) as a 1% solution in IV saline over 3-5 minutes.
Does methemoglobinemia go away?
The condition is benign. There is no effective treatment for people with a congenital form who develop an acquired form. This means that they should not take drugs such as benzocaine and lidocaine. People who acquire methemoglobinemia from medications can completely recover with proper treatment.
Where did Martin Fugate of Troublesome Creek come from?
Martin Fugate came to Troublesome Creek from France in 1820 and family folklore says he was blue. He married Elizabeth Smith, who also carried the recessive gene. Of their seven children, four were reported to be blue.
Where did the Blue Fugate family come from?
The Beginning of the Blue Fugate Family In 1820, a very unique man named Martin Fugate immigrated to the United States from France. He wanted to settle down for a new life in Troublesome Creek, Kentucky, because the United States offered free land to people willing to settle down there.
Who are the Fugates, a Kentucky family with blue skin?
But the story of the Blue Fugates starts in 1820, with the marriage of Martin Fugate. Martin Fugate was a French orphan who married a woman named Elizabeth in the year 1820. They settled in a place named Troublesome Creek, Kentucky. Coincidentally, they both carried the recessive met-H gene, the genetic disorder that is the cause of blue skin.
How many children did the Fugate family have?
Of their seven children, four were reported to be blue. There were no railroads and few roads outside the region, so the community remained small and isolated. The Fugates married other Fugate cousins and families who lived nearby, with names like Combs, Smith, Ritchie and Stacy.
