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dwarfism
(dworf´iz-әm)
underdevelopment of the body; the state of being a dwarf. It may be the result of a developmental anomaly, of nutritional or hormone deficiencies, or of other diseases. The size of pygmies found in some parts of the world, such
as the Philippines and equatorial Africa, is not the result of dwarfism; their small stature is a hereditary trait. Called
also nanism and nanosomia.

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