“Irish Giant” Never Wanted His Body To Be A Specimen. Two Centuries Later, Museum Takes His Bones Off Display

In 1783, Charles Byrne (whose birth name may have been Charles O’Brien) died. Although Byrne was young, he struggled with several conditions: alcoholism and (most obviously) pituitary gigantism.

Byrne was around 7 ft 7 in, or 2.3 m, tall. Byrne had a brain tumor that impacted his pituitary gland. This gland is responsible for regulating growth hormones. Because of Byrne’s tumor, his body produced too much growth hormone — a condition called acromegaly. He made a living by performing as a “giant” at freak shows across the United Kingdom.

Byrne was a regional celebrity and experienced entertainer. But as Byrne struggled with health issues, he received a different kind of business inquiry. Surgeons and medical researchers wanted Byrne to donate or sell his corpse.

When Byrne was on his deathbed, he begged his friends to put his body to rest at sea. The Irish Giant felt that a water burial was one of the only ways he could protect his remains from being displayed as an artifact.

Byrne’s final wishes were not honored. His bones were stolen, and John Hunter purchased the “Irish Giant’s” remains. Hunter was a famous anatomist and surgeon. He added Byrne’s bones to his vast collection of around 14,000 animal and human samples. In 1799, the Hunterian Museum was founded in London at the Royal College of Surgeons of England. The museum displayed many of Hunter’s most prized specimens.

For over two hundred years, Byrne’s skeleton stood as the most popular attraction in the Hunterian Museum. Last month, officials announced that they will take Byrne’s remains off public display.

One of Byrne’s living relatives thinks that the museum has made the right decision. Brendan Holland has gigantism and acromegaly, much like his distant ancestor. “We can’t do anything for dead people but we can help those who are alive and have this condition … It’s particularly prevalent in the area I live in, in east Tyrone and south Derry,” Holland told Raidió Teilifís Éireann.

Byrne’s remains will not be buried at sea any time soon. According to the Board of Trustees of the Hunterian Collection, Byrne’s skeleton will “still be available for bona fide medical research.”

The announcement about Byrne’s body marks an important milestone in the ongoing debate about ethics and anatomical exhibits.