John Harpoon

Tarrare, a name that echoes through medical history as the embodiment of insatiable hunger, was a Frenchman whose life and condition baffled both his contemporaries and generations of scientists that followed. Born in 1772 in Lyon, France, to a poor farming family, Tarrare’s early years were marked by an extraordinary appetite that seemed to grow with him, quickly surpassing the needs of a typical child. His insatiable hunger was not a mere curiosity—it was a symptom of a condition that would haunt him throughout his short life, leaving behind a trail of mystery, tragedy, and fascination.

 

Tarrare’s hunger was unlike anything the world had ever seen. From his teenage years onward, his body demanded far more than the normal intake of food; he consumed vast quantities that would overwhelm any ordinary person. In a single sitting, he could eat the food intended for fifteen people. His consumption ranged from the normal—meats and vegetables—to the bizarre and horrifying: live animals, including cats, snakes, lizards, and even puppies. The most unsettling aspect of his condition was his ability to devour inanimate objects, such as stones, corks, and litter. He seemed to have an insatiable urge to eat anything in sight, a drive that could not be quelled by typical methods of nourishment.

 

Despite consuming vast amounts of food, Tarrare’s body remained gaunt, almost skeletal, which perplexed doctors and those around him. His unusual condition led him to be admitted to a military hospital, where he became the subject of study by doctors intrigued by the sheer scope of his hunger. Tarrare’s case was not merely one of gluttony; it was an intricate puzzle that pointed to deeper medical and psychological conditions, which, at the time, were beyond the understanding of the medical community.

Gregory Felter

Cobbo Publishing LLC

The Man Who Consumed Everything: The Curious Case of an Unusual Hunger

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