Mongolian spot

Mongolian spot is a congenital developmental condition—that is, one existing from birth—exclusively involving the skin. The blue colour is caused by melanocytes, melanin-containing cells, that are usually located in the surface of the skin (the epidermis), but are in the deeper region (the dermis) in the location of the spot. People who are not aware of the background of slate grey nevi may mistake them for bruises, possibly resulting in mistaken concerns about abuse. Anthropological description The French anthropologist interested himself in what he called the or coloured birthmark, publishing multiple papers in the , an academic journal covering the cultural anthropology of the Americas. Gessain spent time with the Huehuetla Tepehua people in Hidalgo, Mexico, and wrote in 1947 about the spot's "location, shape, colour, histology, chemistry, genetic transmission, and racial distribution". He had previously spent several winters in Greenland, and wrote an overview in 1953 of what was known about the spot. He hypothesised that the age at which it faded in various populations might prove to be a distinguishing characteristic of those groups. Gessain claimed that the spot was first observed amongst the Inuit. Hans Egede Saabye, a Danish priest and botanist, spent 1770–1778 in Greenland. His diaries, published in 1816 and translated into several European languages, contained much ethnographic information. He described the spot on newborns, saying he had seen it often when the infants were presented naked for baptism. A second Danish observer was doctor and zoologist Daniel Frederik Eschricht, mainly based in Copenhagen. In 1849 he wrote of the "mixed" babies he had delivered at the lying-in hospital. He also says that "the observation made for the first time by Saabye about Inuit children has been completely confirmed by Captain Holbøll", who sent him a fetus pickled in alcohol. The Journal of Cutaneous Diseases Including Syphilis, Volume 23 contained several accounts of the slate grey nevus on children in the Americas: In Central America, according to these authorities, the spot is called Uits, "pan", and it is an insult to speak of it. It disappears in the tenth month. It is bluish-reddish (in these Native people), and is remarkable by its small size. The mulberry colored spot is very well known in Afro-Brazilians. In Brazil, among individuals of mixed Indigenous American and West African descent (pardo) it is called "genipapo", from its resemblance in color (bluish-gray) to an indigenous fruit of Brazil, named genipapo (a Native American word adopted into Portuguese). == Prevalence ==

Infants may be born with one or more slate grey nevi ranging from a small area on the buttocks to a larger area on the back. The birthmark is prevalent among East, South, Southeast, North and Central Asian peoples, Indigenous Oceanians (chiefly Micronesians and Polynesians), certain populations in Africa, Amerindians, non-European Latin Americans and Caribbeans of mixed-race descent. They occur in around 80% of Asians, and 80% where they are associated with non-European descent. These spots also appear on 5–10% of babies of full Caucasian descent. African American babies have slate grey nevi at a frequencies of 90% According to a 2006 study examining the Mongolian spot among newborns in the Turkish city of İzmir, it was found out that 26% of the examined babies had the condition. It was noted the prevalence rate was 20% and 31% in boys and girls, respectively. The study also reported that no children born with light hair had the mark, meanwhile 47% of the children with dark hair having it. In Hungary, the Mongolian spot is considered a correlate of Romani (Gypsy) ancestry among children. In a study published in Hungary in 2013 a total of 2289 newborn infants underwent whole-body screening skin examinations. At least one skin manifestation was found in 63% of the neonates. The most frequently observed in pigmented lesions were congenital melanocytic naevi and Mongolian spot. Since the last century, extensive research has been made regarding the prevalence of said spot in populations of mixed European-native American ancestry. A publication from 1905, citing field research made by the anthropologist Frederick Starr, states that the spot is not present in Mestizo populations; however, Starr's actual research states that "seven Mayan children presented the spot, three mixed children didn't have it"; Starr therefore does not make an absolute judgement, as he does not say how many mixed children were analyzed in total. Nowadays it is completely accepted that the big majority of Mexico's and Latin America's mixed-race populations have the Mongolian spot and that its presence works as an indicator of the actual degree of mestizaje present in a given population, followed by Argentina with an incidence 44%, Mexico with 50%-52%, 68% in Hispanic-Americans and 88% in highland Peruvians. A study performed in hospitals of Mexico City suggests that socioeconomic factors influence the frequency of Mongolian spots among newborns, as evidenced by the higher prevalence of 85% in newborns from a public institution, typically associated with lower socioeconomic status, compared to a 33% prevalence in newborns from private hospitals, which generally cater to families with higher socioeconomic status. Central American indigenous children were subjected to racism due to their slate grey nevi but progressive circles began to make having the slate grey nevus popular after the late 1960s. Highland Peruvians have the slate grey nevus. == Treatment ==

As congenital benign nevi, Mongolian spots do not require treatment and in most cases disappear before adolescence. No cases of malignant degeneration have been reported. == Cultural terminology ==

The slate grey nevus is referred to in the Japanese idiom (), meaning "to have a blue butt", which is a reference to immaturity or inexperience. In the Mongolian language, it is known as , meaning "blue spot". Korean mythology explains the nevus as a bruise formed when Samshin halmi or Samsin Halmoni (), a shaman spirit to whom people pray around childbirth, slapped the baby's behind to hasten the baby to quickly get out from the mother's womb. "Mongolian Mark", the middle third of the 2007 novel The Vegetarian, is named after the title character's nevus, which obsesses her brother-in-law. In Chinese, it is referred to as (pinyin: , ). Among common folk it is said to be caused by the Buddhist goddess of childbirth Songzi Guanyin (, pinyin: ; ) when she is slapping the baby's backside, telling it to be born. Others say it is because the baby does not want to leave the mother's womb, so Songzi Guanyin will kick it out, leaving the bruise. A small portion of people wrongfully believe it is caused when the doctor is slapping the baby's backside to make it cry. Scientifically, it is also referred to as (; ). In Khmer, it is known as () which translates to 'Mongolian spot' as well as other skin conditions such as vitiligo and leucoderma. In Spanish it is called and (see Erwin Bälz). The mark is common among Maya people of the Yucatan Peninsula where is referred to as in Maya, which means 'circle'. In Ecuador, the native Indians of Colta are insultingly referred to in Spanish by a number of terms which allude to the slate grey nevus. In Thai, it is known as () which translates to 'ink bottom', or (), which translates to 'blue strain'. has been used to tease those who act, think or speak like a baby, because this Mongolian spot can be seen only during this period of a human being's life. In Iñupiaq, is it called or , which relates to the word for blood and also means 'mole'. == See also ==