Homeward Bound

we'll probably need to wear deodoranto every day. Me. I've got this eyebrow hair, just one. It's like ten times thicker than all the rest. And it's you know what, never mind. All you need to know is that growing up is all about change. But for one man, change wasn't so normal. His body morphed in a way that set him apart from everyone else, No bones about it. Claude Ambrose Surat was born in Tis, France in sevente Although his exact birth date remains unknown, he was believed

to have been born in early April. At the time of his birth, Sarah didn't display any evidence of problems, deformities, or disorders. He was a happy, healthy, bouncing baby boy. However, as he got older, things changed. His chest started to cave in and his heart could be seen beating within. His arms and legs lost their mass, and although he was technically healthy, he was weaker than his fellow children.

His family had no record of inherited diseases, and there was no explanation of why his body was seemingly wasting away before everyone's eyes. By fourteen, he had lost most of his body weight, His skin hung on spindly bones, and his ribs protruded from his middle. Trust me, he did not look well. By eighty five, Saratt was twenty eight years old. He stood at five ft seven inches

tall and weighed only seventy eight pounds. Today, male children who are eleven years old should weigh an average of seventy eight point five pounds and be four point seven feet tall. Sarat Rather was woefully underweight for his age. It was that same time when he traveled to England

for an exhibition at pall Mall. Pal Mall was a street in central London that was home to numerous shops and gentleman's clubs, and was also a major hub for art During the nineteenth century, he was put on display at a Chinese gallery where visitors could gawk at his emaciated frame. One attendee, a man named William Hone, wrote about Surat's extraordinary depression of the chest and his waist

like a wasps. Hone also described how the man eight, which involved breaking his food into small pieces and chewing them heavily to avoid choking. Sarat became a sensation known as the living Skeleton. Upon his return to France, he joined up with a traveling circus passing through Bordeaux in eighteen twenty six, he was employed as a sideshow entertainer, although in those days he was unfortunately referred to as a freak. He performed for several more years with a

circus before disappearing around eighteen thirty three. He was never seen again. Rumor had it that he had gone back to London and spent his remaining time there before he died. An art historian named Gilbert Richard Redgrave wrote in eighteen sixty eight, I have not been able to ascertain the date of his death. Who knows whether the poor fellow may not still be going the round of the French fairs. Sadly, Surat most likely died without ever knowing what ailed him.

Although he had never been formally diagnosed, at least to our knowledge, his condition was analyzed and theorized after his disappearance. He was believed to have suffered from, among other things, sprangled deformity, a rare congenital disorder for identified in eighteen. People with sprangled deformity often have one shoulder blade that

has misaligned on one side of the body. Sat also probably had a condition that reduced his ability to take in food, requiring him to eat small pieces in small amounts. This contributed towards his malnourished figure. William Hone also recorded further analyzes of Surat's body during his eighteen twenty five visit to the London Gallery. It was likely that he

included findings provided by British surgeon Sir Astley Cooper. According to those findings, Sarat had a flattened sternham as though it had been driven inwards towards the dorsal vertebrae or backbone, with his malformed sternum, which had also displaced his heart. Surat had no idea that his body was actively working against him, and we may never know for sure either,

since his body has never been recovered. For a time, it was thought that Sir Astley Cooper had performed a necropsy on the corpse following Sarat's death, although no records exist, nor was his skeleton given to London's Royal College of Surgeons for display in this museum. Another theory as to his body's potential whereabouts. The museum doesn't have him either.

Claude Ambrose Surat was a man wasting away. Medical knowledge and technology had not advanced enough to give him a diagnosis that could have helped him, and because he slipped into reclusiveness later in life, the truth about his condition remains a mystery to this day. We know he didn't eat much, but we still don't know what was eating him. Bobby Brazer lived with his family in Silverton, Oregon, about

forty miles south of Portland. His parents, Frank and Elizabeth, along with her daughters Nova and Leona, were planning a road trip to visit family in August of ninete. They're destination Walcott, Indiana. It was over two thousand, two hundred miles away, more than halfway across the country, and a one twenty trip A drivelag debt Today wouldn't be all bad, considering we have roomy, air conditioned SUVs, smartphones, and fascinating historical podcast to listen to along the way UEM. But

back in there was none of that. The Braziers piled into their metal chariot, which had little to no suspension and hardly any amenities, not even cup holders, and they drove. They drove for thousands of miles, only stopping to eat or put gas in the tank. During the last leg of their trip, disaster struck. The family had made it to Walcott, but decided to stop one last time to fuel their car before heading over to their relative's house. It was during this pit stop when young Bobby jumped

out of the car to stretch his legs. A pack of wild dogs appeared out of nowhere and chase the young Brazier boy away from his family. Distraught, they gave up their trip and spent their time looking for him, but he was nowhere to be found. After weeks of searching and putting up posters, they were forced to abandon their efforts and return home to Oregon. They feared the worst, but it turns out that Bobby was a fighter he had to be if he ever wanted to see his

parents and siblings again. Over the next six months, he walked in average of fourteen miles each day, swimming across rivers and even traversing a desert to get back home. His journey took him over two mountains and through the Continental Divide during a particularly nasty winter, but he didn't survive on his own. He had helped from kind strangers along the way, who kept him fed and gave him a place to sleep during his trek. Finally, in February

of Bobby showed up in Silverton. His sister Nova had been out with a friend when she spotted him. He was dirty and had lost a lot of weight. He had cuts all over his body, and his nails had been ground down to almost nothing. Upon seeing him, she ran over to him and then walked him over to the Rio Cafe, a restaurant in town owned by the family. The Braziers were shocked by the sight of their little

boys standing before them. They whisked him inside and fed him a surloin steak with whipping cream, after which he slept for three whole days. When the papers and radio stations picked up the story, they turned Bobby into a national sensation. People who had provided him with food and shelter on his journey wrote in to tell their own

stories about meeting him. The mayor of Silverton gifted him the key to the town for surviving his harrowing ordeal, and people from all over sent him gifts like toys and bones, yes bones. Bobby was only two years old when he was nearly killed by a group of wild dogs, but he knew exactly what to do. After all, he was half Scotch Kylie, half English shepherd, and if any dog was going to travel miles across the country to

find his family, it was going to be Bobby. And thanks to the stories told by the people who had helped him, the Humane Society of Portland's was a able to map the route he had taken. It looked like Bobby had made it back to the rest stop, but his family had already left to go looking for him. He couldn't find them, so he set back out on his own, searching for a familiar scent to latch onto every gas station they stopped at. Bobby was right behind them,

tracking them back to Oregon. After getting his paws cut up and recuperating with an Irish woman in Portland, he finally made it back home once and for all. His story was so inspiring even Hollywood came calling. The prized pooch was cast to play himself in a film called The Call of the West, which hit theaters in nine. Sadly, that same year was particularly hard for the Braziers, as

it was the same year that Bobby died. He was only seven, but his doctors believed that his trip home had affected him physically more than his family had known. He was buried in Portland in the Humane Society's Pet Cemetery. Following his burial, one of his fellow actors, the famous dog Rin Tin Tin, paid him a visit. He deposited a wreath at Bobby's grave, one last gift to the dog who had nearly given his life to see his

family one more time. As for Bobby the Wonder Dog, he was finally at peace, able to give his weary pause a much needed rest. I hope you've enjoyed today's guided tour of the Cabinet of Curiosities. Subscribe for free on Apple Podcasts, or learn more about the show by visiting Curiosities podcast dot com. The show was created by me,

Aaron Manky in partnership with how Stuff Works. I make another award winning show called Lore, which is a podcast, book series, and television show and you can learn all about it over at the World of Lore dot com. And until next time, stay curious.