A Living skeleton!! Authentic memoir of that singular human prodigy Claude Seurat, denominated the Living Skeleton, who arrived in London from the Continent in July, 1825. In which is contained a circumstantial detail of his person ... together with an account of his manners, habits, etc. ... / Illustrated ... by Robert Cruikshank.

  • Seurat, Claude-Ambroise, 1798-1841.
Date:
[1825?]
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: A Living skeleton!! Authentic memoir of that singular human prodigy Claude Seurat, denominated the Living Skeleton, who arrived in London from the Continent in July, 1825. In which is contained a circumstantial detail of his person ... together with an account of his manners, habits, etc. ... / Illustrated ... by Robert Cruikshank. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    of a sport of nature hitherto unparalleled in the history of the world/ Such an unexpected offer was eagerly embraced by the family, when another im¬ pediment arose that seemed likely to frustrate the views of Major Williams; for although, as pre¬ viously observed, many French practitioners in the provinces had visited the youth, no regular commu¬ nication had been made to the Ecole de Medicine (the School of Medicine) of Paris, respecting his existence; and it was consequently apprehended, that the jealousy of that learned body would be awakened, in case it ascertained that the removal of such a wonder was on the point of taking place, particularly to the shores of England. The appre¬ hension, therefore, which arose was this:—that the body of Parisian practitioners, on making application to the proper authorities, would procure an order for no passport being granted to the family, which proceeding would, without doubt, have been put into effect, had not every precaution been adopted to render the departure of the living skeleton as secret as possible. On their way to England, however, the requisite credentials being procured, and no impediments ap¬ prehended, added to which, no further delays were to take place in the journey than the health of the subject of this memoir required, he was visited by the public at Rouen, and in the course of a few hours, no less than fifteen hundred persons repaired to contemplate the skeleton, so great was the curiosity evinced in the capital of Normandy to be-