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

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

, 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 Rogan (February 12, 1867 – September 11, 1905; some sources indicate 1871 as his birth year), was an American sharecropper who was recorded as the tallest non-mobile person ever, and the second-tallest person ever at , behind Robert Wad ...

, 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 (; : femurs or femora ), or thigh bone is the only long bone, bone in the thigh — the region of the lower limb between the hip and the knee. In many quadrupeds, four-legged animals the femur is the upper bone of the hindleg. The Femo ...

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 commonly refers to: * Mons, Belgium, a city in Belgium * Mons pubis (mons Venus or mons veneris), in mammalian anatomy, the adipose tissue lying above the pubic bone * Mons (planetary nomenclature), a sizable extraterrestrial mountain * Batt ...

Belgium Belgium, officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. Situated in a coastal lowland region known as the Low Countries, it is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeas ...

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 nouns that are already or about to be mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' ...

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

Folies Bergère 150px, Stanisław Julian Ignacy Ostroróg">Walery, 1927 The Folies Bergère () is a cabaret music hall in Paris, France. Located at 32 Rue Richer in the 9th Arrondissement, the Folies Bergère was built as an opera house by the arc ...

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 Male actors from Baden-Württemberg