2^4 Trench National Jnjlitute, 



the fmall interval left between the upper and lower teeth ; he 

 caufed two of the inciuve teeth to be drawn, and by means of 

 the aperture produced by this operation, he fpoke with more 

 freedom, and could luck up liquids through a pipe, and even 

 fwallow a little minced meat. 



His body, a kind of animated ftatue, or living carcafe, 

 formed only one piece ; all his bones were cemented to each 

 other; and notwithstanding this (late of extreme mifery, Si- 

 riiorre often converfed with great cheerfulnefs, and dictated 

 every year an almanack in verfe. which the public eagerly 

 bought up, to relieve his misfortune without wounding his 

 delicacy. That of the year 5 was diftinguilhed by the fol- 

 lowing motto : 



Fir e de la lumiere, et perclus de fori corps, 

 li ic nt dt la vie, en attendant la niorr. 



Simorre's countenance, however, difplayed great expreffion, 

 and even hilarity. The mufcles of his face had acquired a 

 fingular mobility; they were continually in action, either 

 to fupply the want of geftures, which he could no longer 

 employ, or to wrinkle his fkin and drive away the infects 

 which continually tormented him. 



C. Percy has defcribed the origin and progrefs of this 

 difeafe, fortunately very rare : he has examined the caufes 

 and explained the alteration of the bones, and particularly 

 thofe of the articulations of Simorre, whofe fkeleton, a ter- 

 rible and at the fame time valuable monument of human 

 mifery, is now dcpolited in the confervatory of the fchool of 

 medicine at Paris. 



In a fecond memoir C. Percy has defcribed all the effects 

 of a monftrous voracity, to which he gives the name of poly- 

 f>b :gia A young man, in the environs of Lyons, named 

 Tarare, at an early period of life, having followed a compa- 

 ny of mountebanks, had accuftomed himfelf to fwallow peb- 

 bles, large offals of meat, coarfe fruits, knives, and even 

 living animals. Terrible colics and other violent affections 

 were not able to make him renounce this dangerous habit, 

 which foon became an imperious want. 



Having enlilted in the beginning of the laft war in one 

 of the battalions of the army of the Rhine, he fought in the 

 neighbourhood of a flying hofpital the neceffary aliment. 

 The refufe of the kitchen, the remains of the foldiers' allow- 

 ance, rejected articles and putrid provisions were not fuffi- 

 cient to fatiate his appetite. He often contefted with the 

 vileft animals f )r their difgufting food, and he was in the 

 continual purfuit of cats, dogs, and ferpents, which he de- 

 voured 



