Rapunzel Syndrome gets its name from the fairy tale first published in writing in 1790, although earlier renditions go back to the early 1600s. Whereas the character Rapunzel uses her long hair to let a prince into her tower, in the syndrome, the person with the illness eats their hair. The hairball settles in the stomach, where it cannot be physically digested, and grows a long tail that extends into the colon. The disorder was only recognized in 1968. Surgery is often required.
