Publication: A lo grande. La obsesión por coleccionar gigantes humanos
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2021
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Real Sociedad Española de Historia Natural
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Abstract
Entre mediados del siglo XVIII y la década de 1920 ciertos médicos, anatomistas y antropólogos se afanan por enriquecer sus colecciones con el esqueleto de un humano gigante. Son los huesos auténticos de seres humanos que crecieron hasta alcanzar una altura desaforada, no los presuntos (y falsos) restos de personajes anclados en la leyenda. Durante décadas, nadie ofrece una explicación racional de tan enorme crecimiento, aunque ya a finales del XIX se plantea alguna hipótesis que acabará siendo refrendada algo después. El artículo revisa las circunstancias asociadas a este coleccionismo y comenta los casos conocidos de esqueletos de gigantes humanos que se conservan (o se han conservado hasta hace pocos años) en museos anatómicos y antropológicos de Europa, Estados Unidos y Canadá.
Between 1750 and 1930 certain doctors, anatomists and anthropologists strived to enrich their collections with the skeleton of a giant human. These skeletal remains are authentic bones of human beings that grew to reach an enormous height, not the false remains of mythical humans. For decades, no one offers a rational explanation for such a huge growth, although hypotheses were raised at the end of the 19th century that end up being endorsed somewhat later. The article reviews the circumstances associated with this collecting and mentions the cases of giant human skeletons that are preserved (or have been until recently preserved) in anatomical and anthropological museums in Europe, the United States and Canada.
Between 1750 and 1930 certain doctors, anatomists and anthropologists strived to enrich their collections with the skeleton of a giant human. These skeletal remains are authentic bones of human beings that grew to reach an enormous height, not the false remains of mythical humans. For decades, no one offers a rational explanation for such a huge growth, although hypotheses were raised at the end of the 19th century that end up being endorsed somewhat later. The article reviews the circumstances associated with this collecting and mentions the cases of giant human skeletons that are preserved (or have been until recently preserved) in anatomical and anthropological museums in Europe, the United States and Canada.