The internet website Reddit has gone from underground photo and story sharing to the mainstream. The revelations, trends and fads introduced on Reddit have become some of the most popular mems and trends in popular culture throughout the world. In fact, the traffic a link on Reddit can funnel to another website is commonly known as ‘The Reddit Effect’ and more casually referred to as ‘The Reddit Hug of Death’ because the influx of traffic can actually crash servers.
In February of 2014, a man posted on one of Reddit’s regular forums, inviting people to ask him about a condition he has had since birth but which few people have ever heard of – Diphallia. The condition may not be well known, but it soon became the topic of headlines, coffee shop conversations and plenty of speculation. The condition results in men being born with two penises and while most cases are resolving by removing one before the age of 1, the man behind this post claimed he still had both and that he had no problem using them.
Understanding Diphallia
The first reported case of Diphallia was diagnosed in 1609 by Johannes Jacob Wecker. Since then, few cases have been reported and today, the condition affects only 1 in 5.5 million live births. Although rare, the condition can pose serious problems with urinary health as well as reproduction. In most cases, the smaller or weaker penis is removed during the first year of life but there have been cases where both have been left intact. Such was the case of the poster on the Reddit site. Using the online alias DoubleDickDude (DDD), he was happy to field questions from the curious as well as the sceptical.
Breaking the Silence
The story began simply enough, with DDD posting in Reddit’s Ask Me Anything forum. He posted several photographs of his dual appendage. From there he answered a number of question from fellow members about the functionality of each and how he has coped with this rare condition. The thread was later moved to Reddit’s IAMA section, where people with strange conditions or physical attributes discuss the details of their lives but where they must also offer up additional proof. DDD complied with everything and there is now a number of photographs which go a long way in bolstering his claims.
The thread immediately caught the attention of several news organizations and has since been featured in the Huffington Post United Kingdom website as well as Buzzfeed, Rolling Stone, The Mirror, The Daily Mail and a host of other news, gossip and healthcare websites. Assuming DDD’s story is true, he may be especially rare. Typically, men dealing with Diphallia do not have full control over both organs and one usually is not functional. Judging by his photos, stories and answers to several questions, though both are not only functional, but able to be controlled independently of each other. DDD reported that the right penis was more sensitive but that he could use either when having sex.
Since the story broke on Reddit and filtered through to the mainstream press, Diphallia has been the focus of renewed interest. While this rare condition is often a curse for men born with it, the story of DDD offers hope and interest for the general public and those who specialize in sexual health. His experiences have generally been rather positive and he has no plans to remove either appendage. Aside from minor surgery in his teens, the man says he has experienced no serious medical complications. Since his story broke, he has offered a hopeful message for other men as well as a new fantasy for some women.
