Tarrare was born near Lyon, around 1772. His date of birth is unrecorded and it is not even known if Tarrare was his real name or nickname.
As a child, Tarrare had a See more

Despite his unusual diet, Tarrare was slim and of average height. At the age of 17, he weighed only 100 pounds (45 kg; 7 st 2 lb). He was described as having unusually soft fair hair and an abnormally wide mouth … See more

On the outbreak of the War of the First Coalition, Tarrare joined the French Revolutionary Army. However, military rations were insufficient to satisfy his appetite. He carried out tasks for other soldiers in return for a share of their rations and … See more

Following this incident, Tarrare was desperate to avoid further military service, and returned to the hospital, telling Percy that he would attempt any possible cure for his appetite. Percy treated him with laudanum without success; further treatments with See more

Four years later, in 1798, M. Tessier of Versailles hospital contacted Percy to notify him that a patient of theirs wished to see him. It was Tarrare, now bedridden and weak. Tarrare told Percy that he had swallowed a golden fork two years earlier, which he believed … See more

The Glutton is a novel by A. K. Blakemore that recounts a "macabre" and "picaresque" fictionalization of Tarrare's life, described as "one of the most remarkable novels" of 2023. See more

• List of incidents of cannibalism
• Charles Domery, a Polish soldier in Prussian and French armies who exhibited similar symptoms.
• Michel Lotito, a French … See more