Tarrare - What the fuck was he?

Interesting topic, glad to see it on here. Afraid I don't know more than wikipedia and stuff, but I'd be surprised if it was anything but pica and/or mental illness

>>18340770
OP here. I'm seriously convinced that he could not have been human. A human of his size with the most severe pica could not accomplish his eating feats. His other weird features and apparent mental acuity make me think if he was human he wasn't mental ill just deformed severely, like a fucked up X-Man.

File: 1436159914032.jpg (135KB, 582x581px) Image search: [Google]

135KB, 582x581px

>he would sneak out of the hospital to scavenge for offal in gutters, rubbish heaps and outside butchers' shops, and attempted to drink the blood of other patients in the hospital and to eat the corpses in the hospital morgue

>>18340830
And furthermore he never got sick from all of this. He could not have been human. Super patriotic French alien with an appetite?

>>18340682
There are modern day people who eat glass and metal. Tarrare was just a man with a iron stomach.

>>18340858
The amount of shit that he ate is what is impressive. You can't eat a meal for 14 in one sitting and still be hungry all while remaining so small. His physical description also makes him seem inhuman.

>>18340682
He almost sounds like some ghoul or something doesn't he? Doesn't sound normal at all.

>>18340890
What's a ghoul?

>>18340903
Think of it as a undead always hungry creature. Potentially ghouls are undead that feast on humans, carrion etc.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ghoul

>>18340913
A counter to that theory would be that he was generally described to be either likable or apathetic. Not really aspects one associates with the undead.

>>18340925
I would be pretty apathetic if i was a ghoul

>>18340931
He also achieve some success in his entertainment and military careers. Could a ghoul pull that off? Maybe I'm just too in love with my idea of an alien Frenchman.

>>18340682
I think quite often about Tarrare. Truly a bizarre case.

My best guess is that he suffered from a combination of a metabolic disorder and a severe imbalance of gut bacteria. I think a lifetime of persistent, insatiable hunger and physical discomfort (ulcers, bloated organs, chronic diarrhea) would drive just about anyone to some of the vile acts of gluttony attributed to him. As for his stretched-out mouth (and presumably his stomach and chest), I'm not sure. Being constantly stuffed might have allowed his muscles and skin to grow out, or possibly the metabolic disorder could have resulted in loose, stretchy skin.

Of course, he was also often in the company of con men and medicine was not the rigorously scientific practice it is today; I think it's possible a good amount of his acts and symptoms are embellishments.

I really need to think about someone like Tarrare in the most rational ways possible. To do otherwise frightens the hell out of me.

>>18340964
Probably the right answer, I'm just too entertained with a more mythical idea of him. I hate anime, and I would watch the fuck out of an anime with him as the protagonist. He more than likely had an actual superpower.

File: tmp_9563-20160903_122953-1862220242.jpg (1MB, 2560x1440px) Image search: [Google]

1MB, 2560x1440px

>>18340987
1 and only self bump. Pic unrelated

>>18340682
>https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tarrare
Obviously not human :
Despite his unusual diet, Tarrare was slim and of average height.[9] At the age of 17, he weighed only 100 pounds (45 kg; 7 st 2 lb).[1][5] He was described as having unusually soft fair hair and an abnormally wide mouth, in which his teeth were heavily stained[9] and on which the lips were almost invisible.[10][11] When he had not eaten, his skin would hang so loosely that he could wrap the fold of skin from his abdomen around his waist.[9][10] When full, his abdomen would distend "like a huge balloon".[6] The skin of his cheeks was wrinkled and hung loosely, and when stretched out, he could hold twelve eggs or apples in his mouth.[11][12] His body was hot to the touch and he sweated heavily, constantly suffering from foul body odour;[9][11] he was described as stinking "to such a degree that he could not be endured within the distance of twenty paces".[11] This smell would get noticeably worse after he had eaten,[10][11] his eyes and cheeks would become bloodshot,[9] a visible vapour would rise from his body,[11] and he would become lethargic, during which time he would belch noisily and his jaws would make swallowing motions

This is not some genetic illness or trait, this is straight up from a book about demons.

>>18341136
This is the response I was looking for. You're the man. What do you think he is?

>>18341142
it sounds crazy vampiric in a way.
Like a Vasall of a vampire who has gotten some vampiric traits due to his master.

Its really weird. Havent seen another case like his at all ever. Some sameness in a few cases about unstoppable hunger etc. but those were mostly illness with bacteria for example.

I really dont know. The fact that his body rotted extremly fast after he died is even weirder. Like he was already rotting to some extend but got more life into him by eating copious amounts of nutrients and lifeforms.
Its also very vampiric that his skin got more red and his eyes got bloodshot after eating food.

Its an extremly interesting case to say the least.

>>18341145
renfield, he reminds me of renfield in dracula.

>>18341145
I'm a huge history nerd with all kinds of places I'd like to go with a time machine. But if I could only choose one, I'd have to figure out what the fuck was up with this dude.

>>18340682
He's just some dude with a really weird mixture of birth defects embedded into him. Didn't he eat a whole cat alive and have a rumor that he ate babies?

>>18341179
More than 1 cat and he might've ate a baby.

>>18340682
here's another one

>. 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.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_Domery

http://io9.gizmodo.com/what-caused-these-men-to-eat-cats-and-candles-1685293458

>>18341145
Anon upthread suggested some exotic gut bacteria as probable component, and he's probably right. Unchecked gut bacteria are a primary agent in corpse decomposition, so could explain that. They also explain the foul body odor and diarrhea, his ability to eat things that would sicken a normal person, and his lack of weight gain. Flushing is a prominent symptom of both hyperthyroidism and hyperglycemia, as well as being common with serotonin and histamine reactions, all kinds of inflammation, and alcohol consumption. His bizarre body features are probably symptomatic of his eating disorder. This is a strange case, but easily explained without resorting to the supernatural.

>>18341876
Sorry but I don't buy that. Having some sort of body disorder would not give you that kind of appearance. His mouth would stretch and his cheeks would stretch to the point of being able to hold many things in his mouth. Do you really think something as simple as a body disorder would give you that kind of appearance? That doesn't add up.

He was certainly not full human.

>>18341931
There are completely mundane people who can do things like that, and it's a capacity that can be developed. If you repeatedly force large things into your mouth and repeatedly fill your stomach to gross distension, then they'll stretch over time. It's not a far trek from "that kid who can shove a whole apple in his mouth" to "that guy who can shove a bunch of apples in his mouth".

Being certain of something so ridiculous is a pretty far leap. Especially when your ignorance is the basis for that leap.

>>18341958
>There are completely mundane people that can do that

Oh really? There are people that can eat a cat whole? Who? Are you really so ironclad in your 'logic' that it's hard to believe there are 'monsters' out there? The guy had visible vapor coming from him. He would make strange motions and swallowing sounds every time he wouldn't eat. He tried to eat a man's leg. His hunger never stopped. His smell was terrible. You can't rationalize any of that. Has there been anyone like Terrare recently? Or ever?

No. Not even close. That proves that he was one of a kind and was certainly either not human or some kind of supernatural afflicted man.

It's absurd how hard you try to rationalize it.

>>18341958
>ignorance
I think the folks in this thread are trying to find every scrap of info they can find on the guy, then make it make sense.
Thats the opposite of ignorance. Just because their theories dont suit you, does not make the poster ignorant.
Faggot.

He was probably possessed by some entity. It's not uncommon thing that physical capabilities are changing. Also he was mentally stable, which means that entity was a parasite like. He was human without a doubt. Patriotic French aliens are bullshit.

A wendigo, maybe?
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wendigo

>>18341989
Swallowing live animals, including cats and puppies, was a staple for freak show performers before such things became unfashionable. There's a famous stage magician today who swallows rubiks cubes.
Visible vapor was obviously an exaggeration, and was attributed to all sorts of afflictions by premodern medicine.
Foul body odor is consistent with bizarre gut bacteria and a diet that included all manner of disgusting things.
Attempting to eat a man's leg is just another piece evidence that he had a mental disorder that caused him to compulsively eat inappropriate things.
I'm rationalizing because rational explanations are available for every single element present here. Jumping to a supernatural conclusion just because you don't know a scientific solution is absurd. "I don't understand this" is the rational conclusion to come to for you. "I don't understand this therefore it's magic, and anyone who proposes another solution is wrong" is not rational.

>>18342037
>I don't know therefore certainly supernatural
That's ignorance leading to certainty.

>>18342063

Visible vapor is possible if the weather is somewhat cold.

>>18342063
OP here. The thing that gets me is his size contrasted with the shear volume he ate. Also, I wouldn't discredit anything written about him as he was studied by real doctors.

>>18340682

ayylmao disguised as human, eats everything to determine chemical composition and send data to other ayys

>>18342219
Probably.

>>18340854
his body was full of pus, it's a miracle he even lived so long.

File: 1.jpg (17KB, 300x295px) Image search: [Google]

17KB, 300x295px

brilliant... (these kinda threads are the reason i browse x btw)
just gonna throw this out there... but it sounds like they might have been some kind of wierd cow / human halfbreed thing.. i mean they came from backward wierd old times where i am sure people would fuck cows, maybe a tiny human came out once..

stank like shiz, loadsa diarrhea , profuse sweating, ate all day everyday, loose skin around mouth and stomach, rock iron stomach..(cows have 4) could have been some genetic human cow hybrid..

(pic retarded)

>>18342379
This seems like the most likely scenario.

>>18340964
>rational
>afraid of what you don't know

Do you think about what will happen when you die. Do you think about what you are. Do you think about how you know what little you know. Do you have any idea at all of what exists other than yourself. Do you have any idea what you should really be frightened of. Do you know more than your father that is of any value whatsoever. Do you know anything that your ancestors would have actually benefitted from knowing. Do you know anything at all that will help you in any way at all you when you are dead. Do you anything at all that is worth knowing.

>>18342145
>The thing that gets me is his size contrasted with the shear volume he ate

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Malabsorption

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hyperthyroidism

File: Aot_02.png (409KB, 700x390px) Image search: [Google]

409KB, 700x390px

>>18341136
>unusual diet
>abnormally wide mouth
> When full, his abdomen would distend "like a huge balloon"
> His body was hot to the touch
>a visible vapour would rise from his body
>he would become lethargic, during which time his jaws would make swallowing motions

Oh fuck it all makes sense

>>18341152
>https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tarrare
what a waste

>>18340682
This reminded me of Robin Hobb's Soldier's Son Trilogy, where the main character has a similar affliction after encountering a shaman of some tribesmen. The excessive eating assists in the shaman working magic through his body - he gets big as he feeds but skinny after the shaman releases the spell via his captured soul.

>>18340793

There are humans out there with some insane mutations, and it isn't that much of a big deal - like that guy who ate a freaking... I think it was a bi-plane? The little one. In pieces, obviously - but he was some ridiculous fucking bullshit. Weird ass random stuff happens sometimes with people genetics, and it isn't anything supernatural. Pretty damn striking, though! Another good example is, for instance, that awful condition people have where their bones are insanely, stupidly fragile? That's basically just a shitty, shitty mutation - it's just a difference in genetic code, ultimately. There was some family I heard about where their bones are, on the other hand, obscenely dense and strong, allowing them to withstand accidents and injuries that would break the bones of other people, but not their's. It's just the flip side of things - they just lucked out. Or not. Maybe there's some awful trade-off?

Weird fucking shit just happens in nature, man.

Additionally, there ARE horrible conditions out there where people CAN NOT BE SATED; the signaling in their brain is just completely non functional. They feel like they're starving their entire /lives/ - kids with this shit have been known to escape their parent's attentions for a short period and -literally burst their stomachs- ... If you mixed that in with an insane metabolism and/or digestive system, and another issue or two, you'd get some terrifying results.

>>18341136

> could hold twelve eggs or apples in his mouth.

Interesting phrasing, there. It seems to suggest that he could have 12 apples; but if that were the case, then why mention the eggs? More likely, this only actually to the former. Or, and this is very important, you have to consider what food was like during the times. Jumbo eggs weren't exactly a thing back then, I'd wager, and apples can vary quite a lot in size. Chances are these numbers are a lot less impressive than you think. And even if they WEREN'T -- as far as 12 eggs go?

As a person with Ehler's Danlos Syndrome? I am -not- impressed. I have seen some -shit-.

>>18340987
Being able to eat a lot is the shittiest superpower there is

>>18344494
Well they would have to hype it up a bit.

>>18343501
sounds like a movie plot..

>>18344831

I'm pretty sure there actually -was- some movie with a plot similar to this. I don't remember what it was called, but my physical therapist always brought it up, because he thought it was funny. I think Bruce Willlas was in it? Fragile Dude decides to look for his opposite - causes some kind of crash or something, I think, Durable Dude survives.

But yeah, there are a lot of weird and horrifying conditions out there.

Here's a fun and iconic one - xeroderma pigmentosum. Basically, the sun straight up murders you. And this isn't even the worst 'sun will FUCK you shit up straight to hell' disease - there are a number of them.

When most people hear 'death by sun', they think vampire, but there you go, most horrifying human conditions -can- be explained, one way or another, through medicine.

>>18344853
>I think Bruce Willlas was in it? Fragile Dude decides to look for his opposite - causes some kind of crash or something, I think, Durable Dude survives.


Unbreakable. Fantastic movie.

Funny I would see this thread just after researching anorexia.

>>18343501
>>18344831
>>18344853
>>18344925


Mnightshamalamadingdong...... and samuel L jackson plays the broke guy

>>18340854
He died at 24 from eating nothing but garbage.

Evidence points to hyperthyroidism (no weight gain, fine hair, smells bad) combined with Prader–Willi syndrome (ate anything, was an autistic retard).

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prader%E2%80%93Willi_syndrome
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hyperthyroidism

>>18340943
He was a sideshow freak. In the military all he got were ass-kickings and he failed his only mission.