Age: 17
Date: 1828
Location: Nuremberg, Deutschland
Animals: -
Kaspar Hauser turns up out of the blue
Kaspar Hauser was discovered in 1828, walking down the road in Nuremberg, Germany. Kaspar was oddly dressed and unsteady on his feet, with a strange letter in his pocket and the phrase 'I want to be a horseman like my father is' on his lips. Although about 16 years old, he behaved like a small child. When eventually he could talk, he explained that he had been confined in a small cell into which food and insufficient water — he was always thirsty — were placed while he slept.
Kaspar Hauser's development
When Kaspar was released, he barely had the use of his fingers and had the gait of a toddler. However, unlike many other feral children, Kaspar did learn a lot, and was able to talk, read and write. We can assume from this that he probably learned to talk before his incarceration. Nevertheless, the development of his brain was profoundly affected. On autopsy, the brain of Kasper Hauser was notable for small cortical size and few, non-distinct cortical gyri — all consistent with cortical atrophy. (Dr Bruce D Perry, Childhood Experience and the Expression of Genetic Potential). Kaspar claimed that he had been confined for 10-12 years, an estimate that could well be right: or it could have been a much shorter period.
Who was Kaspar Hauser?
Mystery surrounded Kaspar Hauser's origins for many years — in particular, there were claims that he was the heir to the house of Baden. In 1833 the mystery deepened when Kaspar Hauser was assassinated.
In his book Savage Girls and Wild Boys Michael Newton discusses the many puzzling aspects of Kaspar Hauser's case — was he heir to the throne of Baden? Who confined him, and why? And finally, who killed him — and why?
Now, from DNA tests conducted in 2002 on his hat, trousers and locks of his hair from Feuerbach's private collection, it would appear that Kaspar Hauser is indeed a descendant of the house of Baden.