Gluttonous Frenchman from the 18th Century, Tarrare, Who Consumed Everything Without Limit
In the 18th century, a French man named Tarrare captured the world's attention with his extraordinary eating habits. Born in a rural community near Lyon in 1772, Tarrare was left to fend for himself on the streets, where he quickly became a street performer, consuming anything given to him.
Tarrare's body transformed with each meal, his flaccid cheeks stretching and bulging like a chipmunk's to accommodate his feast. His insatiable appetite and metabolic dysregulation were unlike anything seen before, mirroring some aspects of modern conditions like Prader-Willi Syndrome (PWS) and binge eating disorder.
PWS is a rare genetic disorder characterized by chronic insatiable hunger, leading to excessive eating and often severe obesity. The syndrome also involves muscle weakness, growth hormone deficiency, cognitive impairments, and behavioral challenges. The eating disorder aspect of PWS, particularly the unrelenting appetite and metabolic dysregulation, has drawn comparisons to Tarrare's case.
Both Tarrare and individuals with PWS exhibit extreme, insatiable hunger that defies normal metabolic needs. Their cases present complex challenges for understanding human appetite regulation and metabolism, highlighting dysfunction in the mechanisms controlling satiety and energy balance. The social and psychological burdens faced due to their eating behaviors, including stigmatization and difficulty in managing daily life, are also similar.
Tarrare's case offers a historical perspective that anticipates what is now recognized in genetic conditions like PWS, giving modern medicine insights into rare metabolic and appetite disorders. Dr. Pierre-François Percy, a renowned physician, met Tarrare and conducted experiments on his eating abilities.
Despite his extraordinary eating habits, Tarrare's life was not without hardship. He was beaten senseless by the Prussians, shackled to the toilet after being caught as a spy, and traumatized by his army experiences. He turned to scavenging for food outside butcher shops, in gutters, and alleyways, and even resorted to consuming corpses in the morgue.
Tarrare died at the age of 26 from a severe form of diarrhea due to tuberculosis. His autopsy results were described as disgusting, with an enormous gullet, smelly pus in his abdomen, an enlarged gallbladder and liver, a gigantic stomach covered in ulcers, putrefied entrails, and a rotting corpse.
Modern researchers suggest that Tarrare may have had a medical condition that's not an eating disorder as we define them today. Jessica Setnick, a registered dietitian, believes that Tarrare's case serves as a lesson to look at how people judged him and to consider that they may be blaming someone for their size when really there's something going on with their hormones.
In summary, Tarrare's historical case is often retrospectively considered alongside PWS to better understand such rare and severe eating pathologies. His life serves as a reminder of the complexities of human appetite regulation and the importance of understanding underlying medical conditions.
- The historical case of Tarrare, a man known for his extraordinary eating habits in the 18th century, mirrors some aspects of modern medical-conditions, such as Prader-Willi Syndrome (PWS) and binge eating disorder, due to their insatiable appetites and metabolic dysregulation.
- PWS, a rare genetic disorder, is characterized by chronic insatiable hunger, leading to excessive eating, severe obesity, muscle weakness, growth hormone deficiency, cognitive impairments, and behavioral challenges.
- The eating disorder aspect of PWS, particularly the unrelenting appetite and metabolic dysregulation, has drawn comparisons to Tarrare's case, offering a historical perspective that gives modern medicine insights into rare metabolic and appetite disorders.
- Modern researchers suggest that Tarrare may have had a medical condition, possibly not an eating disorder as we define them today, to explain his extraordinary eating habits, serving as a lesson to consider that a person's size might be influenced by underlying hormonal issues rather than just their choices or behaviors.
