The mythical creatures have occupied the world of fantasy, fairy tale and folklore for thousands of years, appearing in Greek mythology, art, opera, and the iconic Walt Disney film The Little Mermaid (inset). But medical historian Lindsey Fitzharris, who has a PhD from Oxford University, said the idea of mermaids likely originated from the rare congenital disorder sirenomelia. The condition occurs from a failure of the vascular supply the umbilical cord fails to form two arteries, leading to just one limb, resembling a mermaid's tail (right). She said the condition is extremely rare, affecting one in 100,000 births and added that babies rarely live beyond a few days, with more than half of cases resulting in stillbirth. She said: 'Sirenomelia is extremely fatal. There are no accounts of anyone with this condition surviving in the past. Even today, the odds are against those with sirenomelia, though there are a handful of examples of children living past infancy.' One recent example of a case is that of Peruvian Milagros Cerron, now 10, (left and centre) who at the age of two, in 2006, underwent an operation to separate her fused limbs. She and American Tiffany Yorks, now 25, are thought to be around the oldest surviving patients diagnosed with the condition.
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