The Man Behind the Mystery
Few medical cases from the 18th century have perplexed physicians and historians as much as Tarrare. This French showman and soldier gained notoriety for an extraordinary, insatiable appetite that defied medical understanding. His condition involved extreme hunger, physical anomalies, and unusual behaviors, remaining a subject of fascination and debate. Tarrare’s ailment highlights the complexities of human physiology.
Born around 1772 near Lyon, France, Tarrare exhibited an immense appetite from a young age. His parents, unable to provide enough food, forced him to leave home as a teenager. By age 17, he weighed only about 100 pounds (45 kg) yet could consume a quarter of a bullock’s weight in meat daily. This extreme eating led him to join a traveling charlatan, performing bizarre acts of gluttony for public amusement.
His performances involved swallowing corks, stones, apples, and even live animals. Tarrare later moved to Paris, continuing his street performances until he enlisted in the French Revolutionary Army. Military rations proved insufficient, leading him to scavenge for food scraps and eventually be admitted to a military hospital due to exhaustion.
Observed Symptoms and Medical Investigations
Physicians, notably Dr. Pierre-François Percy, meticulously documented Tarrare’s symptoms and conducted experiments. Despite massive intake, he remained lean, with loose skin that could be pulled around his waist when his stomach was empty. His mouth was abnormally wide, allowing him to hold a dozen eggs or apples in his cheeks. After eating, his abdomen would distend significantly, resembling a balloon.
His body emitted a foul odor, detectable from 20 paces away, which worsened after he ate. He sweated profusely, and a visible vapor reportedly rose from his skin. Tarrare also experienced chronic, severe diarrhea, described as ‘fetid beyond all conception’. Despite these physical peculiarities, psychological assessments found him apathetic but mentally sound.
Experiments revealed his extraordinary capacity: he consumed a meal prepared for 15 laborers in a single sitting. Physicians observed him eating live animals, including cats (from which he would later regurgitate fur), snakes, lizards, puppies, and an entire eel, swallowed whole. His desperate hunger drove him to consume bandages, fight stray dogs for food, and attempt to eat cadavers from the hospital morgue.
Contemporary Explanations and Modern Hypotheses
During Tarrare’s lifetime, 18th-century medical practitioners struggled to explain his condition, attributing it to an unusually large stomach and digestive tract. Dr. Percy noted his gullet was abnormally wide, allowing a direct view into his stomach. Medical knowledge at the time offered limited diagnostic tools or effective treatments for such a unique case.
Modern medical historians and scientists propose several retrospective hypotheses for Tarrare’s polyphagia, or excessive hunger. One common theory is hyperthyroidism, characterized by an overactive thyroid gland. Symptoms like increased metabolism, weight loss despite high food intake, profuse sweating, and fine hair align with descriptions of Tarrare. However, no modern hyperthyroidism case has presented such extreme manifestations.
Other speculative diagnoses include damage to the hypothalamus or amygdala, brain parts regulating appetite. Some suggest pica, an eating disorder involving non-nutritive substances. Parasitic infection causing nutrient malabsorption has also been considered, explaining his constant hunger and lack of weight gain. These modern theories remain speculative due to limited historical data.
Tarrare’s Enduring Case Study
Tarrare died at approximately 26 years of age. After being expelled from the hospital due to disturbing behaviors, he reappeared four years later, severely ill. He died in Versailles in 1798, with his death attributed to advanced tuberculosis, complicated by purulent diarrhea.
An autopsy revealed a severely enlarged and ulcerated stomach, an abnormally wide esophagus, and an enlarged liver and gallbladder, with his body filled with pus. His case remains a profound anomaly in medical history, challenging scientific understanding of human physiology. The detailed accounts from his physicians offer a rare glimpse into an extreme biological phenomenon.