S.P. Oldham's Blog, page 7
August 3, 2023
A Bizarre Coincidence!
Unbelievable! Hard on the heels of my blog post about Tarrare and Domery and their strange appetites yesterday, this article pops up! Not saying the individual concerned has the same conditions or tastes as those two men from history, but how bizarre and coincidental that I should see this today!
The article in The Guardian states that police are searching for a man in Devon who bit off a chunk of his bus seat! The article is more than eleven years old, but even so!
The headline reads:
“Chair rage: police hunt for man who chewed bus seat
Devon and Cornwall police release CCTV still showing man they believe caused £200 damage on a bus – by eating a chair”
Wonder if they ever found him?!
August 2, 2023
The Truly Horrific and Insatiable Appetites of Tarrare and of Charles Domery
Somebody recently brought my attention to a true character from history by the name of Tarrare.
Tarrare - or Tarar - was a Frenchman living in the 16th Century. He was a soldier and showman, famous for his ability to eat large amounts of just about anything, including cats and other live animals. When he went to war during the War of the First Coalition, he was discovered eating from gutters and from waste heaps, despite the fact that he was very well fed as a French soldier.
His appetite was truly horrendous as well as enormous, and despite the fact that he was constantly hungry and in search of food, his condition deteriorated to the point that he was underweight and eventually hospitalised due to exhaustion. Unable to find him suffering from any kind of mental disability, he was - according to Wikipedia “the subject of a series of medical experiments to test his eating capacity, in which, among other things, he ate a meal intended for 15 people in a single sitting, ate live cats, snakes, lizards, and puppies, and swallowed eels whole without chewing.”
A later stay in hospital saw Tarrare sneaking out to eat from the waste and offal outside butcher shops, waste in gutters and other foul sources.
As if all of this was not bad enough, he also had cannabilistic tendencies. He was caught trying to drink the blood of other patients, of attempting to eat corpses in the hospital morgue and was finally thrown out of hospital after being suspected of devouring a 14 month old infant who disappeared.
The fact that the story of Tarrare is true fascinated and repulsed me in equal measure. It did not take much research to discover another character from roughly the same period.
Charles Domery or Domerz was Polish, also a soldier, who became known for his astounding appetite. According to Wikipedia, “While stationed near Paris, he was recorded as having eaten 174 cats in a year, and although he disliked vegetables, he would eat 4 to 5 pounds (1.8 to 2.3 kg) of grass each day if he could not find other food. During service on the French ship Hoche, he attempted to eat the severed leg of a crew member hit by cannon fire, before other members of the crew wrestled it from him.”
Domery was also known to eat cats, rats and even candles, resorting to grass if nothing else was available, in large quantities. He was never seen to vomit after eating any of these disgusting foodstuffs and seemed outwardly well, again with no notable mental disability.
Tarrare died of advanced Tubercolosis. It is not known what manner of death befell Domery or when he died. Theories have been proffered to explain the unusual - to say the least - eating habits of both men.
One such theory is Polyphagia, which means ‘excessive appetite.’ Seems a bit obvious, right? However, the description (Wikipedia) for Polyphagia is thus: “Polyphagia or hyperphagia is an abnormally strong, incessant sensation of hunger or desire to eat often leading to overeating. In contrast to an increase in appetite following exercise, polyphagia does not subside after eating and often leads to rapid intake of excessive quantities of food. Polyphagia is not a disorder by itself; rather, it is a symptom indicating an underlying medical condition. It is frequently a result of abnormal blood glucose levels (both hyperglycemia and hypoglycemia), and, along with polydipsia and polyuria, it is one of the "3 Ps" commonly associated with uncontrolled diabetes mellitus.”
Modern theories suggest that the men suffered from Hyperthyroidism, a damaged amygdala or damage to the ventromedial nucleus of the Hypothalmus.
What fascinates me is that these men were from the same period. Apparently, other individuals with similar stories were also documented at this time. However, only Tarrare was autopsied, meaning what could be learned by medical professionals of the time was limited indeed.
Are there more modern stories of this nature? Do you have any theories as to why these men had such literally horrific appetites? Let me know your thoughts.
For more information in greater detail, links are below.
Thanks for reading.
Sources:
Ventromedial Nucleus - Wikipedia
Please note that although I have cited Wikipedia above, there is a fair amount of information out there about both of these historical characters.
Thank you to Facebook - Chrislin Prose for the heads up on Tarrare that started me down this quite revolting rabbit hole!
Tarrare: Portrait de Jacques Simon dit Jacques de Falaise., 1820
Charles Domery - Image Credit: https://allthatsinteresting.com/charl...
July 31, 2023
Ratty Birthday to Me, Ratty Birthday to Me…
It's my birthday. A rat chewed through the wiring in the kitchen ceiling and blew all the sockets in there. Waiting for an electrician now. My house is riddled with damp and needs a damp course put in. We need a new roof - technically three roofs, really. First world problems as my oldest would say and of course, he is right. That doesn't stop it from getting me down, though.
I am usually pretty upbeat and optomistic. Maybe today I am just tired. If there happens to be anyone out there who would like to cheer me up, make my day and buy my book (Audible or kindle) then thank you! A review would be even better. If you give me a try, then thank you from the bottom of my heart. I hope you enjoy it!
July 23, 2023
Wicked Little Blade - Call for ARC Readers
Now available for ARC copies. If you are interested and able to provide timely feedback/review then please either comment below or pm me. Thank you.
Wicked Little Blade
The Blurb: The Great Lady rules Spira, safe from within the Inner Sanctum of the palace. Yet even here, the world can intrude. Eleven years ago, the Great Lady’s Mirror Mind, Ellera, brought great displeasure when she bore an illegitimate child; Shaderassa.
The Great Lady rarely forgives and never forgets. Ellera is kept on at court, her skills as a Mirror Mind valuable, until the Great Lady’s tolerance fails, when she is forced to endure a dreadful punishment.
The Alchemists, in service to the palace, happen to choose the same day to demonstrate that their powers can be used for things other than violence. Fearful and nervous, they get things horribly wrong, giving scheming court elder Ivien an opportunity to seize power amid the chaos.
All at once, Spira is cast into turmoil. Everything changes for Shaderassa, forcing her to flee the only place she has ever called home. Brought low by grief and loss, armed with only a knife, a will to survive and the memory of her mother to give her strength, she runs.
Beyond Spira, the jungle beckons. What lies beyond that, very few know.
Hunted by half an army, Shaderassa is about to find out.
Book Cover Art by vikncharlie on SelfPubBookCovers.com
July 13, 2023
COMPETITION TIME!
To win an Audible OR e-book download of ‘Hag’s Breath: A Collection of Witchcraft and Wickedness’ just tell me what your area of expertise would be if you were a witch. The most original/funny/scary/intriguing answer will be the winner.
While you’re here, why not listen to this extract from ‘Hag’s Breath’ narrated by Paula Hines? Or try if for nothing with Audible's free 3 month deal (limited time only.) It might get your imagination going, ready for those answers…
Extract: Hag's Breath on Audible UK
Rules: Competition closes 12/08/2023 Midnight GMT. No correspondence will be entered into and there will be no cash alternative. Prize in no way affiliated with Facebook. Judges decision is final. In the event that I am unable to contact the winner after two weeks, the prize will roll over to the runner up. Winners are politely requested to post a comment or photo to my author page, S P Oldham, Author on receipt of their prize. Entry to this competition will be deemed as acceptance of these rules. Good luck! I am looking forward to reading these!
July 3, 2023
The Attack of the Dead Men - a TRUE story
The Attack of the Dead Men.
Thanks to my youngest son Rhys Oldham for bringing this horrific tale to my attention. The true story of ‘The Attack of the Dead Men’ – the name given to the Battle of Osoweic Fortress in WWI. They say that truth is often stranger – and worse – than fiction. This is one tale which definitely proves that.
In World War 1 an horrific battle took place for Osoweic Fortress, now northeastern Poland. The Russian soldiers were hit with deadly mixtures of poison gases, bromine and chlorine by the German forces, forcing them to cover their faces with cloths if they were to continue to fight back.
The advancing Germans, around 7,000 of them, did not expect any real resistance after the bombardment of chemicals. They underestimated the men they were fighting.
Surviving soldiers of the Russian 13th Company of the 226th Infantry Regiment, commanded by Lieutenant Kotlinsky, counterattacked. The sight of oncoming Russian soldiers, coughing up blood and bits of their own lungs as the deadly mix of chemicals began to dissolve their flesh and organs, understandably horrified and frightened the Germans, prompting them to retreat. In their desperation to get away they became entangled in their own concertina wire traps, whereupon the five remaining Russian guns opened fire.
With the odds so overwhelmingly against the Russians though, they did not hold the area much longer. Instead, they demolished as much of the place as they were able before themselves retreating. Lieutenant Kotlinsky died later that evening, as I imagine many of those men died that day.
If there was ever to be a moral to a story such as this, I would suggest that it might be ‘never underestimate anyone, no matter how weak they may appear.’
History often gives us such lessons, though whether we learn from them is a debate for another time. Those poor souls, to have gone through such gruesome agonies. So much for ‘The War to End All Wars…’
There seems to be quite a lot on the web about The Attack of the Dead Men, including songs, videos and so on. Wikipedia, from which I have borrowed heavily, has a bit about it too, if you are interested to find out more.
A tale of brutal warfare, this also has an enigmatic appeal to it. No wonder it spurned imaginative recreations later on. I mean picture it, an actual zombie war, or close enough. I might return to this topic some time myself.
Wikipedia - The Attack of the Dead Men
Image: Squarespace stock images - Scott Rodgerson
June 25, 2023
The Written Undead on Facebook: The Zombie Book of the Summer - People’s Choice. Your chance to vote!
NB: you MUST be a member of Written Undead and nominate on the post on the Written Undead page not here.
Wednesday, June 21 is the official start of summer in the United States. In honor of that, Written Undead is hosting the Zombie Book of Summer 2023! People’s Choice. Cast your vote for the first zombie apocalypse book you would recommend to a friend just getting started in the genre.
Rules:
No Self Nominations
Only zombie books/series (published at any time) can be nominated
No dual nominations (check to make sure your choice is not already listed)
Nominate your favorite author within the next seven days. Good luck!
June 13, 2023
First review is up!
Excited to see that the first review in for Hag's Breath on Audible is now up and it is a good one! Thank you so much for taking the time to review it.
Not heard it? Take a look here: USA - Hag's Breath: A Collection of Witchcraft and Wickedness on Audible
UK - Hag's Breath; A Collection of Witchcraft and Wickedness on Audible
Remember that Hag's Breath is also on Kindle for just £1.99/$2.99
https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B01M4JMXMA https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01M4JMXMA
June 4, 2023
Now on Audible and iTunes
‘Hag’s Breath: A Collection of Witchcraft and Wickedness’ is now available in audiobook format from both Audible and iTunes.
https://www.acx.com/titleview/ALGW2QBE0U74P
Written by myself, S P Oldham, and narrated by Paula Hines, 'Hag's Breath' reinvents witches. If you are looking for the near-comical character that is the stalwart of children's fairy tales then go elsewhere. These witches are the stuff of nightmares. True horror characters with dark souls and sinister intentions. Powerful women, whose presence in the world is sometimes to be feared, sometimes to be sought out - but always to be respected.
Cover art: SelfPubBookCovers.com/ FrinaArt
May 29, 2023
Emergency/Frontline Workers, this is for you! (UK Bank Holiday)
As I was writing my earlier post about everyone having a much deserved rest on another bank holiday, it struck me that a lot of people have to work regardless (usually my husband, though he actually has this bank holiday off!) Anyway, if you are an emergency or frontline worker and have to work today, comment below and I will send you a link to download a free copy of one of my ebooks, as a token of appreciation, for you to enjoy when you can finally put your feet up. Have a safe day and don't work too hard!
