Josephine Myrtle Corbin was born in 1868 with an extremely rare condition known as polymelia, which caused her to have four legs. But her story goes far beyond her physical difference, Myrtle lived a life marked by resilience, love, and remarkable achievement.
Myrtle’s condition was later identified as dipygus, a congenital disorder that results in the body axis splitting during development. This meant she was born with two separate pelvises, two sets of reproductive organs, and four legs, two fully formed and two smaller, inner limbs that she could move, though they were too weak for walking. Her inner legs each had just three toes, and one of her feet was clubbed.
She was born in Tennessee to parents William and Nancy Corbin. At the time, her arrival shocked everyone, including the medical community. Doctors later remarked that had she been born breech, her life, and possibly her mother’s, would have been in jeopardy. Thankfully, baby Myrtle thrived early on, gaining weight steadily and showing vitality.
But life wasn’t easy. Facing financial difficulties, her father began exhibiting Myrtle at just five weeks old. She quickly became a curiosity at fairs and sideshows, where people paid to see “the four-legged girl.” By age 14, Myrtle had gained fame and earned a significant income, $250 per week, by performing in traveling exhibitions.
Despite the spotlight, Myrtle longed for a normal life. At 18, she married James Bicknell, a medical student, and stepped away from public life. Her unique anatomy drew widespread attention, to the point where several women falsely claimed to have similar deformities, hoping to profit off her fame. All were eventually exposed as imposters.
A year into her marriage, Myrtle fell ill with nausea, fever, and side pain. Doctors discovered she was pregnant on the left side of her body, where one of her wombs was located. The pregnancy was risky, and doctors advised her to consider terminating, but she carried on and recovered. In total, she and James had eight children, though only five survived infancy, four daughters and one son.
As her children grew up, Myrtle briefly returned to the stage. In 1909, at 41 years old, she performed at Huber’s Museum in New York, billed as “The Four-Legged Girl from Cleburne, Texas.” Wearing stockings and shoes on all four legs, she wowed audiences once again, this time earning $450 per week.
Sadly, in 1928, Myrtle developed a skin infection known as erysipelas (a form of strep) on her right leg. Within a week, on May 6, she passed away. Her casket was sealed with concrete, and her family guarded her grave until the concrete set, fearing grave robbers might try to steal her remains due to her fame.
Even nearly a century after her death, Josephine Myrtle Corbin Bicknell remains an enduring symbol of strength and perseverance. She defied the odds in a world that wasn’t always kind to those who were different, paving a path for herself as both a celebrated performer and a devoted mother.
