环球英语 — 335：The Tree Man
Voice 1
Hello, I’m Ruby Jones.
Voice 2
And I’m Marina Santee. Welcome to Spotlight. This programme uses a special English method of broadcasting. It is easier for people to understand, no matter where in the world they live.
Voice 1
A small, thin man sits on some wooden steps. On his head he wears a bright blue hat. It protects his face from the warm afternoon sun. But the hat cannot hide the many large, dark marks on the man’s face and neck. The man rests his hands on the wooden steps. But, these are not normal-looking hands - there are no soft, healthy fingers. Instead, they look like a mass of dead roots from a tree! The man’s feet are no better. He lifts them up, slowly. They look like they are made of wood, not flesh and blood. What has happened to this man? What has caused him to look like this?
Voice 2
The man’s name is Dede. He comes from Indonesia. And he lives in a small village south of the capital city, Jakarta. For the first part of his life, Dede was a normal, healthy young man. But when he was fifteen years old, he had an accident. He cut his knee. But his knee did not heal. It got worse. Then, warts appeared on his feet. Warts are caused by a virus or infection. They are flesh coloured growths on the skin. Dede remembers:
Voice 3
“First, warts appeared on my feet. But I did not do anything about them. They spread and quickly covered all my body.”
Voice 2
Some of these warts on Dede’s hands and feet grew larger and larger. They were not normal warts. They grew out from his body. They were long and bent like wooden sticks and branches. In fact, it looked like he was turning into a tree! He was no longer able to use his hands and feet effectively. This painful condition left him unable to work. And so Dede lost his job. He could not support his family financially. And after some time, his wife left him. Dede found it more and more difficult to provide for his two children.
Voice 1
To make things worse, some of the people in his village made fun of Dede. There was nothing wrong with his mind. But the people did not know that. They did not take time to see past his looks. To them, anyone who looked different was a ‘freak’ - someone to laugh at. But underneath the strange looks, Dede was just a normal person. Local doctors examined Dede. They had never seen anything like it before. But they could find no medicine to cure him.
Voice 2
Dede’s case was so rare that it made international news. A team from the Discovery television channel flew to Indonesia. They made a film about Dede. They called it, “Half Man, Half Tree”. They contacted a famous dermatologist - a skin expert. Doctor Anthony Gaspari works at the University of Maryland Medical Centre. He travelled with them to Indonesia to examine Dede. He had never seen anything like it in his life! He examined him from head to foot. He took some of Dede’s blood to test. Then, he cut off very small pieces of wart from Dede’s body. Doctor Gaspari returned to the United States with the blood and wart samples. He then tested them in his medical laboratory.
Voice 1
It took Doctor Gaspari two months to discover the cause of Dede’s terrible condition. And, the results surprised him a little. Dede was suffering from a common infection - the Human Papilloma Virus, or HPV. People who suffer from this virus develop small warts on their body. Doctors can usually remove these warts by a simple operation. So why had Dede’s warts become impossible to remove? Doctor Gaspari explained:
Voice 4
“It was the most extreme case of warts that I have seen in all my years as a doctor! Dede has some kind of severe immune deficiency. His body’s system for fighting infection has a major problem.”
Voice 1
The doctor is sure that the problem with Dede’s defence system is genetic. That would explain why Dede’s body cannot deal effectively with the warts. The virus takes over Dede’s skin cells. And it makes them produce large amounts of keratin. The keratin forms into the tree-like growths on Dede’s hands and feet. It is a very rare condition.
Voice 2
Happily, Doctor Gaspari believes that he knows the cure - vitamin A! This is surprising to many people. Vitamin A is the healthy substance found naturally in many kinds of food. Everyone needs some every day to stay healthy. However, Dede would need a very high amount of Vitamin A. And it should slow down the growth of warts on his body. So, if Dede receives this treatment, will it cure him completely? Doctor Gaspari says:
Voice 4
“Dede will not have a perfectly normal body. But the warts should reduce in size greatly. He would then be able to use his hands. Over the period of three to six months the warts should become smaller and fewer in number. He could live a normal life.”
Voice 2
But not everyone is pleased with Doctor Gaspari’s behaviour. Siti Fadilah Supari is the Indonesian minister for health. She is concerned that Doctor Gaspari took Dede’s blood and skin samples to the United States for testing. She is worried that powerful drug companies will use these samples to create new kinds of drugs. Then, the companies may sell these drugs back to countries that need them. They could ask a lot of money for them - and make a large profit.
Voice 1
Doctor Gaspari understands the Minister of Health’s concerns. But he has made it clear why he acted as he did:
Voice 4
“I did take samples. And the reason I did was to find out what was wrong with Dede. I did it because he is a human being like me. I did it to help my patient.”
Voice 2
Back in his village, Dede does not worry about being at the centre of a disagreement. Instead, he thinks about the future. Will doctors be able to start treating him soon? Will the treatment work? Dede looks across at his two children. His daughter, Entang, smiles back at him. Love shines from Dede’s dark brown eyes. He knows what he truly wants. He says:
Voice 3
“I want to be able to take care of my children. I hope I live long enough to see my grandchildren.”
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