Could Erik have had Harlequin Ichthyosis?

I was recently browsing around a website with allegedly real film footage of aliens when I saw a video entitled "Alien Child." I clicked the link and was brought to a screen which said "This video had been removed out of respect for the child and her parents- the infant was not an alien child, but a highly deformed human baby." Intrigued, I Googled the phrase "Alien child" and found several images and video clips of the child. I discovered that the deformity is known as Harlequin ichthyosis.
I would post pictures but, the disease is terribly repulsive, and makes the child look harrowing.
I found out that the disease is a skin sickness which can result in:
-The skin being yellowish and cracking, resembling fish scales. The skin bleeds profusely if irritated.
-The eyes can grow to grotesque spheres, and may give off the appearance of candescence in darkness because they may shimmer from blood hemorrhage.
-The nose and ears may either not develop or may deteriorate over time.
-The finger nails do not grow, leaving the hands weak
-The lips may be pulled back, or not grow at all
-Children afflicted with the disease usually die soon after birth.
Here is a Wikipedia link: click.
The disease naturally affects the skin and face, but also the brain, making it grow at an exponential rate, or stunt in its growth. After reading about the disease, I realized that it sounds a lot like Erik's deformity in the Leroux novel.
As I have said, I am apprehensive of posting images, so, ONLY CLICK THIS SPOILER BOX IF YOU WISH TO SEE THE RESULTS OF THIS DISEASE. IT IS HIGHLY GROTESQUE.

Spoiler:

Spoiler:

If you did indeed click, you see the extent of the deformity- this child has no nose (really) and no ears. It's terrible, but, it could very well be what Erik was alleged to have had. Perhaps Leroux read about it.

Ooh thats interesting, thanks!

It really does sound like Erik. I was just thinking though, at the time when Leroux wrote the book, wouldn't (most) people/babies with this disease have been hidden away and kept a secret, because of the parents shame? If so, that would have made it more unlikely that Leroux had heard of it, but its possible!

Horrible disease though.

That poor baby, though..Anyone with it, really.
It sounds a lot like Erik, because those with is suffer from skin shedding, and in Leroux's novel, he explains how Erik had dead skin, and Christine says when Erik made her scratch his face, his skin felt dead.

That's so sad...I can't imagine what the parents must go through. It is very similar to Erik's description, though.

Thats quite a possibility though rose soda I think made a good point there is not much info about diseases like the one mentioned.Though dispite the discriptions on how Erik's disease sounds like Harlequin type ichthyosis there is still no reason for Erik to look like a skeleton. Wikipedia said that babies that suffer from that disease and I quote " The disease presents Hypoplasia in the fingers, therefore, they cannot grab things properly, or they can barely touch them." How can Erik weild the punjab so effectivly or kill people or even play a musical instrament to such a degree?Also you need to understand Erik could also have other diseases as well not just Harlequin type ichthyosis. Which could explain his need and lack of food and the fact that he is almost nothing but bones.Perhaps Erik though has Harlequins disease he just has not as bad of a degree as some which would explain the fact that he could do every thing mentioned in the book. I think Harlequin is perhaps one of the likely choices but there is also leprosy which would help with Erik not feeling pain every time he moved.I'll keep this ides in the back of my mind but i'll still go around and look for other reasons.

~OG

Yes, this was just a suggestion for his facial appearance, not necessarily his entire body or whatnot. I've read on other phan forums how this could have been a possibility and decided to sesearch it.

I just wanted to say that i went out on a popular video website ( i don't want to mention the name in case it violates the rules) awhile back and there is a clip of this poor baby. His/her mother is holding him/her. It is really quite sad....

I never set ground rules from videos on here. If you havent realized, we have a board in which to trade bootlegs!
I saw a similar video, probably the same one!, and that is how I discovered this wretched disease. It is horribly sad.

That is incredibly sad. Maybe Erik did have it, but it said that most babies die soon after birth. So maybe he did have it but not as bad. Though...I think that he might have had a bone deformity, but that disease could have been a possibility. It's amazing and scary how many diseases and abnormalties of the human body there is and continues to be.

I know, this is terrible. And yes, it does say many afflicted die as infants, but, some do survive.
I just am amazed by this...If my kid looked like this...a mask would be his first scrap of clothing too

Oh how awful! Poor dear...

It does bare a great resembleance to Lerik.