Question

While the morphological aspects of dwarfism and cretinism are similar, the main difference between these two are-
A. Dwarf have normal intelligence while cretins do not
B. Cretins are mentally deranged
C. The head of the cretin is especially large
D. The dwarf has an elongated chin

Answer 1

Hint: Dwarfism refers to the disorder which occurs due to a lack of growth hormones. Cretinism, also a growth disorder, is caused due to a lack of thyroid hormone activity during the foetal stages of the patient. While dwarfism is often just a disorder that has morphologically observable changes, cretinism on the other hand has more to it from a physiological aspect.

Complete step by step answer:
Dwarfism is a disorder caused primarily due to two major causes,
A. Achondroplasia- It is a genetic disorder of the human body. It is caused due to a mutation causing a faulty allele that controls and regulates the growth of bones in our body.
B. Growth hormone deficiency- This type of dwarfism is due to the very low production of the growth hormone also known as somatotropin. Somatotropin is a polypeptide hormone. It triggers the growth and reproduction of cells. The deficiency of GH results in stunted growth.
Cretinism on the other hand is caused primarily in the mother’s foetus due to a lack of enough thyroid hormone in the mother’s body. The child thus born has very less to absolute lack of synthesis of thyroid hormones. The children born with cretinism are seen to have an affected brain and the development of mental ability in children with this condition is significantly low. Both mental and physical growth is affected and the damages are irreversible.
Hence looking at the options, “cretins are mentally deranged”, seems to be the most correct answer to the question. Although all other options may be correct in some cases, it isn’t necessarily true in all cases.
Hence, the correct answer is option (B).

Note: The only plausible way to save a child from cretinism is to start the treatment of the mother during the early gestation period. Although administration of iodine and synthetic thyroid hormones after the birth of the child can somewhat slow down the effects, the damages rendered by the time of birth are generally irreversible.