"One of the most popular “Darwin’s missing links” was Schlitzie, a microcephalic featured in freak shows throughout much of the Western world.
The circus for most of its history regularly featured numerous displays of diseased or deformed humans purported to document Darwin’s theory of human evolution (Bogdan 1988; Cook 1996).
In the annals of sideshow performance, one of the most famous exhibits to “prove” evolution was Schlitzie (1901–1971) a microcephalic.
Schlitzie “was one of the top draws in [that] imitators, some even using his name, began to crop up here and there.” (Griffith 2019, 77, 165).
Sometimes people with microcephalism were called pejorative names such as “pinheads” or “coneheads.”
They had abnormally small brains, were usually intellectually disabled, and displayed many superficial purported ape-like features that made them candidates for the Darwin’s “missing link” label (Snigurowicz 1999).
He also was for a time billed as Schlitzie “The Monkey Girl” and “The Last of the Incas” (Hartzman 2005, 210).
Schlitzie even had a major appearance in the very successful but controversial 1932 film Freaks, directed by Tod Browning, the director of Dracula. He also appeared in the 1941 film Meet Boston Blackie (Hunter 2014, 40).
Among the many microcephalics featured in sideshow acts were also Bartola and Maximo, Godino and Apexia, Hettie and Tain, and Zip (born William Henry Johnson): Barnum & Bailey’s claimed “missing links” between man and monkeys (Hunter 2014, 40–41).
These were openly depicted on advertising posters as “nothing less than the ‘missing link’” predicted by Darwin (Kunhardt 1995, 149). Barnum, along with other purveyors, even dishonestly misled visitors to conclude his displays were examples of valid scientific evidence for Darwinism.
Many of the advertisements for these exhibits were specifically designed to satisfy the public’s curiosity about Darwin’s theory of evolution.
Historians have concluded that the validity of Barnum’s missing links was “strengthened by an unwitting Barnum ally, the English scientist Charles Darwin” (Kunhardt 1995, 149). In addition to Schlitzie, Barnum displayed several other “missing links,” who also suffered from an abnormally small brain associated with microcephalism (Homberger 2005).
Throughout Schlitzie's life, he was traded, sold, and lent to various circus owners.
Schlitzie's head was shaved to emphasize his small skull, and his hair was cut specifically to form a ponytail to exaggerate the point at the top of his skull (Hartzman 2005, 211).
Those physicians who recognized the true nature of his deformity used Darwinian eugenics to conclude “in the future, mark my
words, defectives like this will be weeded out by eugenics before they can be born,” a prediction that turned out to be true in some countries such as Iceland (Griffith 2019, 115). Iceland encourages evaluation of Down Syndrome (Trisomy 21) in fetuses and abortion if so diagnosed. As a result, very few children with Down Syndrome are born. This is another sad Darwinian legacy wherein humans are viewed as inferior for various reasons and deemed unworthy of proper human dignity or even life.
Schlitzie was only about four feet tall and his cognitive skills were about those of a three- to four-year-old child, so he seemed much younger than he really was.
One report of Schlitzie’s behavior was by an 18-year-old, Wolf Krakowski, then working for the Conklin and Garrett Shows at the Canadian National Exhibition in Toronto in the summer of 1965, where he “first came to know Schlitzie, who was billed as ‘The Missing Link.’” Krakowski recalled, “Schlitzie, like all children, craved tenderness and affection. He would snuggle up to me and I would put my arms around him. This simple contact and warmth caused him to moan and to weep” (Krakowski 2019). This reminds one of the scriptural admonition: “
Accounts differ, but one claims he was born to a wealthy family in Santa Fe, New Mexico (Hartzman 2005, 210). As was once common in the early 1900s, the family sold Schlitzie to a traveling circus.
Microcephaly can result from several causes including genetics, even extreme fetal alcohol syndrome. Some sources claim Schlitzie was born a microcephalic, others claim he developed the condition when his body grew but his head did not. His hands and feet appear to be proportionate to his small body. Aside from accounts written up in books on the circus, we do not have a family medical history or other background information.
Although Schlitzie's few medical records list him as male, circus promoters often advertised him as female, with names like “The Monkey Girl.” Because Schlitzie was incontinent and wore diapers, dresses made it easier for his caregivers to change him."
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In the annals of sideshow performance, one of the most famous exhibits to “prove” evolution was Schlitzie (1901–1971) a microcephalic.
Schlitzie “was one of the top draws in [that] imitators, some even using his name, began to crop up here and there.” (Griffith 2019, 77, 165).
Sometimes people with microcephalism were called pejorative names such as “pinheads” or “coneheads.”
They had abnormally small brains, were usually intellectually disabled, and displayed many superficial purported ape-like features that made them candidates for the Darwin’s “missing link” label (Snigurowicz 1999).
Schlitzie billed as "The Last of the Aztecs" circa 1930s.
Schlitzie was also billed “the missing link between Ape and Human” and as “Darwin’s missing link” or even a “Half Monkey, Half Human” man, but mostly “the Missing Link scientists have been seeking since Darwin . . . the Missing Link sought by scientists the world over” (Griffith 2019, 5, 10, 52, 61, 167). 
He also was for a time billed as Schlitzie “The Monkey Girl” and “The Last of the Incas” (Hartzman 2005, 210).
Schlitzie even had a major appearance in the very successful but controversial 1932 film Freaks, directed by Tod Browning, the director of Dracula. He also appeared in the 1941 film Meet Boston Blackie (Hunter 2014, 40).
Among the many microcephalics featured in sideshow acts were also Bartola and Maximo, Godino and Apexia, Hettie and Tain, and Zip (born William Henry Johnson): Barnum & Bailey’s claimed “missing links” between man and monkeys (Hunter 2014, 40–41).
These were openly depicted on advertising posters as “nothing less than the ‘missing link’” predicted by Darwin (Kunhardt 1995, 149). Barnum, along with other purveyors, even dishonestly misled visitors to conclude his displays were examples of valid scientific evidence for Darwinism.
Many of the advertisements for these exhibits were specifically designed to satisfy the public’s curiosity about Darwin’s theory of evolution.
Historians have concluded that the validity of Barnum’s missing links was “strengthened by an unwitting Barnum ally, the English scientist Charles Darwin” (Kunhardt 1995, 149). In addition to Schlitzie, Barnum displayed several other “missing links,” who also suffered from an abnormally small brain associated with microcephalism (Homberger 2005).
Throughout Schlitzie's life, he was traded, sold, and lent to various circus owners.
Schlitzie's head was shaved to emphasize his small skull, and his hair was cut specifically to form a ponytail to exaggerate the point at the top of his skull (Hartzman 2005, 211).
Those physicians who recognized the true nature of his deformity used Darwinian eugenics to conclude “in the future, mark my
Schlitzie was only about four feet tall and his cognitive skills were about those of a three- to four-year-old child, so he seemed much younger than he really was.
One report of Schlitzie’s behavior was by an 18-year-old, Wolf Krakowski, then working for the Conklin and Garrett Shows at the Canadian National Exhibition in Toronto in the summer of 1965, where he “first came to know Schlitzie, who was billed as ‘The Missing Link.’” Krakowski recalled, “Schlitzie, like all children, craved tenderness and affection. He would snuggle up to me and I would put my arms around him. This simple contact and warmth caused him to moan and to weep” (Krakowski 2019). This reminds one of the scriptural admonition: “
Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others” (Philippians 2:1–4).
Accounts differ, but one claims he was born to a wealthy family in Santa Fe, New Mexico (Hartzman 2005, 210). As was once common in the early 1900s, the family sold Schlitzie to a traveling circus.
Microcephaly can result from several causes including genetics, even extreme fetal alcohol syndrome. Some sources claim Schlitzie was born a microcephalic, others claim he developed the condition when his body grew but his head did not. His hands and feet appear to be proportionate to his small body. Aside from accounts written up in books on the circus, we do not have a family medical history or other background information.
Although Schlitzie's few medical records list him as male, circus promoters often advertised him as female, with names like “The Monkey Girl.” Because Schlitzie was incontinent and wore diapers, dresses made it easier for his caregivers to change him."
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