The Bizarre Case of Tarrare of France

Tarrare was born in France at around 1722.  During his teenager it is clear to see that he is different from the others because apparently he has an endless need for foods.  His parents even decided to disown him because it came to a point that they could no longer support him with his needs; not to mention Tarrare has devoured everything inside their house including their pets.

When he was in his 20s he joined a group of swindler, becoming a warm-up act to a group of travelling charlatan.  He would eat anything including stones, corks, a whole basket of apples and a live animal.  He then went to Paris and performed on the streets.

Tarrare joined the Army during the War of the First Coalition.  During his military service he would eat anything in the gutter, garbage piles, etc.  But it seems those are not enough to satiate his hungers.  He was then hospitalized due to his deteriorating condition.  He was subjected to different medical experiment due to his bizarre eating habit.  There was one time when Tarrare ate a meal that is intended for 15 people.

His ability caught the attention of the government and they decided to put it to good use.  His job was to swallow documents and pass through enemy lines; they would later recover the documents from his stool.  But unfortunately, Tarrare could not speak German and was captured by the Prusian forces.

He agreed to any medical procedure that would cure him of his big appetite, but it seems any test done on him turns out to be futile.  The procedure was not successful and Tarrare need to feed.  He allegedly drinked the blood of the patient and eat the corpses inside the morgue.  He was also suspected of eating a new born baby.  After that he was expelled from the hospital.

Four years after, he was seen in Versailles suffering from consumption.  He apparently died shortly after that.