🍽️ Who Was Tarrare?

Born around 1772 near Lyon, France, Tarrare was a man whose hunger knew no limits. From a young age, he could consume vast quantities of food—so much that his family couldn’t afford to feed him. He was eventually cast out and joined traveling performers, showcasing his ability to eat anything: corks, stones, live animals, and entire baskets of apples.

🧪 A Medical Enigma

Tarrare’s condition baffled doctors. He was constantly hungry, had an enormous mouth, and emitted a foul odor. His skin hung loosely, and he could stretch his jaw unnaturally wide. Despite eating enough for several men, he remained thin and weak.

Doctors at the Hôtel-Dieu hospital in Paris studied him extensively. They tested his limits by feeding him live animals and observing his digestion. One physician, Dr. Pierre-François Percy, documented Tarrare’s case in detail, calling it “polyphagia”—extreme, uncontrollable hunger.

🕵️ From Spectacle to Spy

During the French Revolutionary War, Tarrare was recruited as a courier spy. His mission: swallow secret messages inside waterproof containers and retrieve them after crossing enemy lines. Unfortunately, he was captured by Prussians, beaten, and released when no message was found.

The mission failed, but it highlighted Tarrare’s bizarre utility—and the desperation of wartime innovation.

⚰️ A Tragic End

Tarrare’s health deteriorated rapidly. He developed tuberculosis and died in 1798 at the age of 25 or 26. An autopsy revealed a grotesquely enlarged stomach and esophagus, confirming the physical toll of his condition.

🧠 Legacy of Curiosity

Tarrare’s story remains one of the most unusual in medical history. He’s remembered not just for what he ate, but for how he lived—a man who defied biology, baffled science, and never stopped surviving.