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Article: The legacy of Franz Mayr.(Biography)
- Article from:
- International Bulletin of Missionary Research
- Article date:
- April 1, 2009
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2009 Overseas Ministries Study Center. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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On March 6, 1865, Franz Mayr was born to Georg and Maria Mayr, farmers in the tiny village of Obernussdorf in the mountainous Austrian Tyrol. Mayr suffered from kyphoscoliosis, a disorder of the spine characterized by progressive deformities consisting of lateral and posterior curvatures and resulting in a shortening of height, stiff chest wall, and restricted lung capacity. He was therefore not able to help his parents and siblings, Anna, Maria, and Simon, with the demanding labor on the farm. This condition may explain why he was sent to the neighboring town of Lienz and reared by foster parents, the shoemaker Franz Harb and his wife, Anna, who was Mayr's aunt. We know ...