The Mysterious Case Of An Indian Man And His 'Devil Horn'

Sounds ridiculous?

It actually happened to a poor man from India.

According to Unilad, the man identified as Shyam Lal Yadav bumped his head five years ago, and he started noticing a mysterious growth soon after.

Not thinking much about it, the 74-year-old farmer got his barber to shave it down for years.

Sadly, though, the horn continued to grow and grow - it reportedly grew up to as long as 10cm - until the point that he had to seek medical help at a hospital.

Thankfully for Yadav, neurosurgeons at the Bhagyoday Tirth Hospital in Sagar city, India, managed to remove the ‘devil horn’ from the man’s head. He is reportedly recovering well from the surgery.

So, what exactly is that 'horn'?

The surgeon who performed the surgery, Dr Vishal Gajbhiye, told the news portal that medically, the strange growth is called a 'sebaceous horn' and it’s composed of keratin, the same material that makes up our fingernails.

Scientists have been studying the phenomenon for years, but they have yet to find the specific causes of the horn. However, they believe that the growth is linked to UV exposure and radiation, as well as squamous cell carcinoma, actinic keratosis or viral warts.

Dr Vishal added that while the horn, which is most common for people between the ages of 60 to 70, can easily be removed with a sterile razor, the underlying condition needs to be treated to prevent it from growing back.