- In my last video you all were begging me to talk about the black
sarcophagus from ancient Egypt, located deep in the ground. What did it contain? The body of Alexander the Great? An ancient curse? Spoiler, three skeletons
and some poop water. That's right, it was
three military officials and some sewage that had gotten in. So I don't think we need
a whole video on that. We can all just agree to that, as a team. Do we really need a full Iconic Corpse, military dudes in poop water? (dramatic sting) Let's just stick with our regularly scheduled
programming, shall we? (playful sputtering) Charles Byrne wanted to be buried at sea. We actually have a video
about how to do that. Five seconds in and I'm already making a
plug for another video. Calm down! Charles Byrne was tall, real tall, seven foot seven inches tall as an adult, and even taller, eight foot
four inches by the time he died. After a lifetime of being gawked at due to his towering height, Byrne, also known as the Irish Giant, was horrified to think his body might become someone else's property, to be placed on display. When his health began to fail at age 22, Byrne turned to his friends, and asked that they place
his body in a weighted casket and sink it to the bottom of the ocean. He saw this as the only way grave robbers wouldn't
pillage his remains. But Charles never made it to the ocean. Instead his bones were stolen and placed on display
at the Hunterian Museum at London's Royal College of Surgeons. And there his skeleton has stayed, on display for almost 220 years, until recently when the museum closed for a three year refurbishment. Despite public outcry
to "Free Charles Byrne" and bury him as he wanted,
the fate of Byrne's skeleton has yet to be determined by the museum. So today we honor the
life, death, death wishes, and humanity of Charles
Byrne, Iconic Corpse. Who really, really didn't
want to be an Iconic Corpse. But here we are. (dramatic sting) In 1761, Charles Byrne
was born in County Derry, in what is now Northern Ireland. He was born with acromegalic gigantism, a condition that caused his body to overproduce growth hormone. For those of you who are fans of the WWF or The Princess Bride, Andre the Giant lived
with the same condition. It's not that Byrne wanted
no attention at all. In fact he was something
of a self-made celebrity, exhibiting himself as the Irish Giant in London and other parts of Britain. People adored Byrne. He was charming and gentle. The newspapers called him, "The most extraordinary curiosity "ever known or ever heard of in history." The King and Queen visited
him, noble men and women. Byrne was so popular he even inspired a hit stage pantomime in
London based on his persona. Yeah it's that hustlin', he had a brand. Byrne found such success
with his self-exhibition that he was able to move into his own flat with custom made furniture
in the heart of London. While his fame waned
slightly in late 1782, and was further damaged when a rival set of twin Irish giants, the Knipes popped up, Byrne continued to earn a good living. And though his condition
caused health problems, which it's speculated drove him to drink, Byrne was happy for a time. However in 1783, he lost
it all in one fell swoop. He put the entirety of his wealth into one 700 Pound banknote,
and went to the pub and that banknote was
plucked from his pocket. One bill, Charles, that's
really not a great idea. You gotta diversify. After that, Byrne sank into a depression, drinking more and more, exacerbating the complications associated with his condition. It was around this time that
medical schools, scientists, and surgeons started
circling Byrne like vultures. Many approached him about eventually acquiring
his body post-mortem for dissection and display, with a certain Scottish
surgeon, John Hunter, being especially eager
to own Byrne's corpse. Hunter was a noted surgeon with a sizable collection
of anatomical artifacts, so he capitalized on Byrne's
sad state of finances and offered to pay him in advance for ownership of his dead body. Aghast and terrified about what might become
of his future corpse, Byrne declined Hunter's offer. This is when he turned to his friends, demanding that they bury him
at sea in a weighted casket. He saw this as the only way to
protect himself from Hunter, the medical profession,
and resurrectionists, men who would steal bodies and deliver them to doctors
and medical schools, (dramatic sting)
for a price. Byrne died of tuberculosis
in 1783 and he was only 22. His body was not even cold before, as the Morning Herald reported, "The whole tribe of surgeons "put in a claim for the
poor departed Irishman "and surround his house "just as Greenland harpooners
would an enormous whale." Byrne's friends tried to carry
out his sea burial wishes, placing Byrne in a casket, and delivering it into the ocean at Margate on England's south coast, but unfortunately that dastardly Hunter bested them with deception. (sneaky laughter) Paying an undertaker 500 Pounds, Byrne's body was taken from his casket and replaced with stones. The stones went to the bottom of the ocean and Byrne's corpse went to Hunter. And for a time, nobody was the wiser. Hunter boiled and
defleshed Byrne's skeleton and kept the bones in
secret for about four years. After Byrne's fame had
been somewhat forgotten, Hunter revealed his prize. In 1799 the Royal College of Surgeons purchased Byrne's skeleton as well as the rest of
Hunter's collection, and up until this year Byrne has been on display
at the Hunterian Museum. Now recently people have
called for the museum to honor Byrne's wishes
and bury his bones at sea, most notably a campaign called the Free Charles Byrne project. Advocates for Byrne's burial argue that the college has extracted
enough DNA from his skeleton to not only conduct in-depth
studies on his condition, but also to recreate his
entire skeleton if need be. Additionally, individuals who have the same condition as Byrnes
have voluntarily offered to donate their body
for study after death. People from the exact
region in Northern Ireland where Byrnes was from, and who likely share
genetic ancestry with him, have come forward. Regardless of the compelling arguments that have been made in
favor of freeing Byrne, for years the Hunterian Museum has maintained the stance that: "The Royal College of Surgeons "believes the value of
Charles Byrne's remains "to living and future communities "currently outweighs the benefits "of carrying out Byrne's apparent request "to dispose of his remains at sea." But for the Free Charlesers there is hope. Upon the closing of the
Hunterian Museum for renovations, the board of the Royal College of Surgeons has stated they are willing to
reevaluate Byrne's captivity for the first time ever, saying they would "discuss the matter "during the period of
closure of the Museum." While that statement is vague at best, advocates for Byrne's
burial are optimistic. A leading proponent of burying Byrne says the growing public unrest and all the negative coverage
will make it very difficult for the museum to display
the skeleton again. So today we honor you
Charles Byrne, Iconic Corpse. And I personally hope,
that after over 200 years, someone will finally
honor your death plan. Which you were super specific, you weren't even that
fuzzy duzzy about it. You said exactly what you wanted. You got your friends do it. You had everyone in on it and, (gasps)
best laid plans. Tell us about an Iconic Corpse you'd love to know more about. We really do read your
comments and suggestions, so be a pal, tell us your faves. What corpses are you this close to writing fan fiction about? #FreeCharlesByrne. This video was made
with generous donations from death enthusiasts just like you. (playful, melodic music) Certain Scottish surgeon,
certain Scottish surgeon, a certain Scottish surgeon! (dramatic sting)
