The Truly Horrific and Insatiable Appetites of Tarrare and of Charles Domery
Somebody recently brought my attention to a true character from history by the name of Tarrare.
Tarrare - or Tarar - was a Frenchman living in the 16th Century. He was a soldier and showman, famous for his ability to eat large amounts of just about anything, including cats and other live animals. When he went to war during the War of the First Coalition, he was discovered eating from gutters and from waste heaps, despite the fact that he was very well fed as a French soldier.
His appetite was truly horrendous as well as enormous, and despite the fact that he was constantly hungry and in search of food, his condition deteriorated to the point that he was underweight and eventually hospitalised due to exhaustion. Unable to find him suffering from any kind of mental disability, he was - according to Wikipedia “the subject of a series of medical experiments to test his eating capacity, in which, among other things, he ate a meal intended for 15 people in a single sitting, ate live cats, snakes, lizards, and puppies, and swallowed eels whole without chewing.”
A later stay in hospital saw Tarrare sneaking out to eat from the waste and offal outside butcher shops, waste in gutters and other foul sources.
As if all of this was not bad enough, he also had cannabilistic tendencies. He was caught trying to drink the blood of other patients, of attempting to eat corpses in the hospital morgue and was finally thrown out of hospital after being suspected of devouring a 14 month old infant who disappeared.
The fact that the story of Tarrare is true fascinated and repulsed me in equal measure. It did not take much research to discover another character from roughly the same period.
Charles Domery or Domerz was Polish, also a soldier, who became known for his astounding appetite. According to Wikipedia, “While stationed near Paris, he was recorded as having eaten 174 cats in a year, and although he disliked vegetables, he would eat 4 to 5 pounds (1.8 to 2.3 kg) of grass each day if he could not find other food. During service on the French ship Hoche, he attempted to eat the severed leg of a crew member hit by cannon fire, before other members of the crew wrestled it from him.”
Domery was also known to eat cats, rats and even candles, resorting to grass if nothing else was available, in large quantities. He was never seen to vomit after eating any of these disgusting foodstuffs and seemed outwardly well, again with no notable mental disability.
Tarrare died of advanced Tubercolosis. It is not known what manner of death befell Domery or when he died. Theories have been proffered to explain the unusual - to say the least - eating habits of both men.
One such theory is Polyphagia, which means ‘excessive appetite.’ Seems a bit obvious, right? However, the description (Wikipedia) for Polyphagia is thus: “Polyphagia or hyperphagia is an abnormally strong, incessant sensation of hunger or desire to eat often leading to overeating. In contrast to an increase in appetite following exercise, polyphagia does not subside after eating and often leads to rapid intake of excessive quantities of food. Polyphagia is not a disorder by itself; rather, it is a symptom indicating an underlying medical condition. It is frequently a result of abnormal blood glucose levels (both hyperglycemia and hypoglycemia), and, along with polydipsia and polyuria, it is one of the "3 Ps" commonly associated with uncontrolled diabetes mellitus.”
Modern theories suggest that the men suffered from Hyperthyroidism, a damaged amygdala or damage to the ventromedial nucleus of the Hypothalmus.
What fascinates me is that these men were from the same period. Apparently, other individuals with similar stories were also documented at this time. However, only Tarrare was autopsied, meaning what could be learned by medical professionals of the time was limited indeed.
Are there more modern stories of this nature? Do you have any theories as to why these men had such literally horrific appetites? Let me know your thoughts.
For more information in greater detail, links are below.
Thanks for reading.
Sources:
Ventromedial Nucleus - Wikipedia
Please note that although I have cited Wikipedia above, there is a fair amount of information out there about both of these historical characters.
Thank you to Facebook - Chrislin Prose for the heads up on Tarrare that started me down this quite revolting rabbit hole!
Tarrare: Portrait de Jacques Simon dit Jacques de Falaise., 1820
Charles Domery - Image Credit: https://allthatsinteresting.com/charles-domery
