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.

    17/36 page 11
    not lead to impress the mind with an idea of the skeleton frame that existed beneath. The teeth are sound, and the jaws strong as in ordinary persons; his palate is good, though from the narrowness of the passage to the chest, he only masticates very little pieces of food at a time, and sips what he swallows, as any liquid taken at a draught would produce suffocation. During his residence in France, he usually ate in the course of the day, a penny roll, drinking what is there termed vin clu pays, being cham- paigne wine very much diluted with water, which is the common beverage of the country people throughout the province. Since his arrival in England, Seurat partakes sparingly of animal diet, and in consequence consumes a reduced portion of bread; he states that those dishes which are the most nutritious satisfy him the soonest, whereas of food not possessing such nutritious juices, he can consume a larger portion ; the quantum he eats daily may amount to about three ounces. He now drinks indiscriminately, porter, cyder, or wines very much weakened by water, particularly the latter, which he finds much more potent than the petit vin, (weak wine) of his native soil. His digestion is particularly good' and the necessary evacuations of nature are performed with great regularity and ease. The seven vertebrae of the neck are very apparent, and when in the act of speaking, f the b2
    digitised image 1
    digitised image 2
    digitised image 3