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Charles Byrne
The Irish Giant
Charles Byrne was tall,seven-foot seven as an adult, and even taller, eight-foot four by the time he died. Byrne was born with acromegalic gigantism, which caused his body to overproduce growth hormone. After a lifetime of being gawked at due to his towering height, Byrne, also known as the Irish Giant, was horrified to think his body might become someone else’s property,to be placed on display.
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For WFF or The Princess Bride, Andre the Giant lived with the same condition as BYRne.
Rise and Fall
It’s not that Byrne wanted no attention at all, he was something of a selfmade celebrity, exhibiting himself as the Irish Giant in London and other parts of Britain. The King and Queen visited him, Byrne was so popular he even inspired a hit stage pantomime in London based on his persona. But as more giants surface, Bryne fell on hard times and began drinking, exacerbating his health problems.
Vultures circling Best laid
Plans Byrne died of tuberculosis in 1783. Byrne’s friends tried to carry out his sea burial wishes. But Hunter was one step ahead. Bribing an undertaker, Byrne’s body was taken from his casket and replaced with stones.The stones went to the bottom of the sea and Byrne’s corpse went to Hunter, who defleshed Byrne’s skeleton and kept the bones in secret for about four years. Once his health started declining, Medical schools, scientists, and surgeons started circling Byrne like vultures. A certain Scottish surgeon, John Hunter, being especially eager to own Byrne’s corpse. Hunter was a noted surgeon with a sizable collection of anatomical artifacts, so he capitalized on Byrne’s sad state of finances and offered to pay him in advance for ownership of his dead body. Aghast and terrified about what might become of his future corpse, Byrne declined Hunter’s offer, and asked his friends to bury him at sea.
200 years later
Byrne died of tuberculosis in 1783. Byrne’s friends tried to carry out his sea burial wishes. But Hunter was one step ahead. Bribing an undertaker, Byrne’s body was taken from his casket and replaced with stones.The stones went to the bottom of the sea and Byrne’s corpse went to Hunter,who defleshed Byrne’s skeleton and kept the bones in secret for about four years.
