#unless you count assholes harassing them as a life-threatening symptom

[blackbutler-readerinsertsandjunk]

anyway after some research because I’m a lil baby who is thirsty for knowledge, I was looking into various disorders or conditions which might cause dwarfism

because, well, I did research into gigantism to gush about Jumbo, now I’m gushing about Peter and Wendy

seems like the most common cause for dwarfism is achondroplasia, which is a condition that inhibits bone growth

however... my headcanon is, I don’t think Peter and Wendy’s lack of growth isn’t caused by achondroplasia, but instead by a growth hormone deficiency

achondroplasia results in at least slightly disproportionate limbs and skull deformity, like arms that are shorter than the torso and a larger head than typical

and if you look at Peter and Wendy, they don’t really have that. like, they’re quite short and they look youthful, but their limbs look proportionate to the rest of their bodies and their heads don’t seem unusually large

a growth hormone deficiency results in more proportionate dwarfism, and is a disorder of the hormones which control growth in general, rather than a disorder of the skeleton or the things which control bone growth specifically

looking at Peter and Wendy, they look, well, proportionate; like their arms aren’t too long or short for their bodies, their heads aren’t abnormally big or small, they just look like... yanno, normal adults, but smaller with childlike facial features

of course, there are a lot of different conditions though that are under the umbrella of a growth hormone deficiency, but it’s impossible to know which kind the two of them might have (though, thinking about it and looking at the list and specific symptoms, I’m thinking it’s not pituitary gland damage, Turner’s syndrome, or stress-related)

if I had to put a diagnosis to them (AND I’M NOT A DOCTOR, I’M JUST A NERD, SO TAKE THIS WITH A GRAIN OF SALT) I’d probably headcanon them as having just, like, some mutation of a specific gene(s), with maybe poor nutrition playing a small factor

and man, the symptoms can vary so wildly between different types of these, but there are some similarities or symptoms common among all of them

w h e w poor guys I don’t have much of a point here other than to scream MY BABIES LET ME TAKE CARE OF THEM-