Julius Koch (1872 – 30 March 1902), also known as ("Constantin the Giant"), was one of the tallest people ever. He suffered from

gigantism Gigantism ( el, γίγας, ''gígas'', "giant", plural γίγαντες, ''gígantes''), also known as giantism, is a condition characterized by excessive growth and height significantly above average. In humans, this condition is caused by ove ...

, with an enlarged pituitary gland, testicular atrophy and lack of sexual development, and had trouble walking. His height, was based on an estimate: after a series of falls, his legs were badly injured, and they were amputated after

gangrene Gangrene is a type of tissue death caused by a lack of blood supply. Symptoms may include a change in skin color to red or black, numbness, swelling, pain, skin breakdown, and coolness. The feet and hands are most commonly affected. If the ga ...

set in. His height had been advertised as , but this was presumed to be an exaggeration, as the skeleton measures 8 ft 1 in (2.46 cm). Because he lived at the same time as

John Rogan John William "Bud" Rogan February 12 – September 11, 1905; some sources indicate 1867, 1868 and 1871 as his birth year) is recorded as the second-tallest person ever at , behind only Robert Wadlow. Biography John Rogan was born in Hende ...

, he was probably never the tallest man in the world. At the age of 14 years, he reportedly already measured . Koch's

femur The femur (; ), or thigh bone, is the proximal bone of the hindlimb in tetrapod vertebrates. The head of the femur articulates with the acetabulum in the pelvic bone forming the hip joint, while the distal part of the femur articulates with ...

s were the longest ever measured, at , and his hands were reportedly long. His feet were claimed to have a length of . Koch died in

Mons Mons (; German and nl, Bergen, ; Walloon and pcd, Mont) is a city and municipality of Wallonia, and the capital of the province of Hainaut, Belgium. Mons was made into a fortified city by Count Baldwin IV of Hainaut in the 12th century. T ...

Belgium Belgium, ; french: Belgique ; german: Belgien officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. The country is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeast, France to th ...

on 30 March 1902. His skeleton is preserved in the Museum of Natural History in Mons, Belgium. Koch was the star of an early short film, ''

The Giant Constantin ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the ...

'', released in 1902. In 1899 he appeared at the London Pavilion and the

Folies Bergère The Folies Bergère () is a cabaret music hall, located in Paris, France. Located at 32 Rue Richer in the 9th Arrondissement, the Folies Bergère was built as an opera house by the architect Plumeret. It opened on 2 May 1869 as the Folies Trév ...

in Paris. During 1901 and 1902, he appeared in Mons as a fairground attraction.

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References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Koch, Julius 1872 births 1902 deaths German circus performers German male film actors People with gigantism People from Reutlingen