The Case of Tarrare: The Man Who Ate Everything

18th century France. A homeless teenager named Tarrare discovers he can eat anything.

Cats. Live eels. Entire legs of lamb. 15-pound roasts in minutes.

Doctors studied him. He devoured a toddler-sized cask of wine. Fainted from hunger 16 hours later.

Reeked of rotting meat. Sweated constantly. Skin yellowed.

Military tried him as spy—swallowed secret documents. Failed. Vanished after eating a dead baby.

HistMuse examines history's most bizarre medical mystery.