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70:, and Cajanus was often referred to as the "Swedish Giant". Estimates of his adult height vary and range as high as 8 feet 1.4 inches (2.474 m). Jan Bondeson, a medical professional and author who has researched and written on Cajanus, suggests that his true height was around 7 feet 8 inches (2.34 m), supported by contemporaneous accounts in the
30:(1704 – 27 February 1749) was a Swedish/Finnish giant. He made his living by exhibiting himself for money, appearing in many European countries and attracting the interest of scientists and laypeople, including royalty. After his death, portions of his skeleton found their way into museums, where some parts still remain.
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A tendency towards gigantism was displayed more broadly in his family. His sister Agneta, who went to
Haarlem after his death to deal with his estate, was depicted as an especially large woman. A distant relative, Israel Cajanus, had extremely large hands and feet and thus probably also suffered from
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The available information about Daniel
Cajanus' actual size is somewhat variable; however it is clear that his height reduced somewhat over the course of his life. Investigations into his preserved bones reveal a phenomenon typical of gigantism which explains this reduction: the overproduction of
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Cajanus died on 27 February 1749, leaving a large sum in his will to pay for a lavish funeral and a burial vault inside the Grote Kerk, with the intention of safeguarding his remains from disturbance. His coffin is said to have been 9 feet 7 inches (2.92 m) long. Despite his
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and depicts him in his Polish soldier's uniform, with an inscription stating his height as 7 feet 10 inches (2.39 m). In 1735 he traveled to Paris, where he exhibited himself to paying audiences and was received privately at
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unit that provided him with accommodation, meals and medical care. In the following years he wrote and published poetry and became a well-known figure in the town; a line marked on a pillar in the city's
104:, and in several other productions. He exhibited himself for money in various places in London, billed as the "Swedish Giant". His portrait was painted twice during his stay in England by the artist
215:. Today the Dutch language still remembers him with the slang term "Cajanus voeten", for unusually large feet. In period writings, the term "Cajaan" was used to mean a giant.
129:, where he lived from 1735 to 1741 as the guest of the landlord of the Blauw Jan, an inn where natural curiosities could be seen and traded. After an unsuccessful spell as a
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still records his measured height during his residence there. This same pillar has a print now illustrating his exhibitions together with
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precautions, the vault was later sold, and
Cajanus's bones were acquired by museums. Some are still held at the Museum of Anatomy in the
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was published on 23 September of that year, and advertisements for it encouraged the reader to visit the exhibition opposite the
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Cajanus returned to exhibiting himself, visiting
England again in 1741 and 1742 and appearing before a meeting of the
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of his bones show clear signs of erosion, which also explain his difficulties in walking in his later years.
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met
Cajanus during his visit to London in 1742 and produced a book purporting to be his biography.
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344:. Vol. 2. Miller, H. K., Amory, H., Goldgar, B. Wesleyan University Press. p. 442.
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spent time in
Germany before arriving in London, where he is recorded as having appeared at
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observed that
Cajanus appeared weak at this meeting, and could not stand for long.
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The
History of Cajanus, the Swedish Giant, from his Birth to the Present Time
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Daniel
Cajanus apparently suffered from gigantism caused by a defect of the
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Cajanus was quite popular in the
Netherlands. In 1745 Cajanus settled in
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The Pig-faced Lady of Manchester Square and Other Medical Marvels
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Fielding, Henry (1993). Henry Knight Miller, Hugh Amory (ed.).
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A contemporary engraving of Cajanus at the Blauw Jan inn.
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in February 1734, playing the part of Gargantua in the
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85:Cajanus lived for some years at the court of
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421:. Kessinger Publishing. p. 284.
170:where Cajanus himself could be seen.
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371:. Harvard University. p. 472.
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383:"All about Haarlem 6: City Walks"
508:Immigrants to the Dutch Republic
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76:Frederick William I of Prussia
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518:Finnish emigrants to England
419:Mystery and Lore of Monsters
313:"Account of the Irish Giant"
182:Pillar in the St. Bavochurch
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488:18th-century Finnish people
483:18th-century Swedish people
413:Thompson, C. J. S. (2003).
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442:Finlandsche reus Cajaan
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317:London Annual Register
287:Bondeson, Jan (2004).
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72:London Annual Register
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478:People with gigantism
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23:A portrait of Cajanus
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16:Swedish/Finnish giant
446:Jacob Campo Weyerman
213:University of Leiden
121:, the queen and the
46:Cajanus was born in
493:People from Paltamo
365:Bentley, R (1868).
87:August II of Poland
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498:Swedish emigrants
428:978-0-7661-7641-6
368:Giants and Dwarfs
351:978-0-8195-5254-9
196:sheltered housing
91:Theophilus Cibber
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397:. Retrieved
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321:. Retrieved
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229:hypogonadism
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106:Enoch Seeman
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473:1749 deaths
468:1704 births
323:14 December
174:Netherlands
131:moneylender
462:Categories
399:2009-06-20
263:References
241:acromegaly
205:Simon Paap
201:Grote Kerk
115:Versailles
95:Drury Lane
249:cartilage
225:pituitary
127:Amsterdam
99:pantomime
34:Biography
257:condyles
119:Louis XV
233:eunuchs
219:Medical
188:Haarlem
146:⁄
123:dauphin
60:Kajaani
48:Paltamo
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255:. The
68:Sweden
64:Kainuu
393:(PDF)
386:(PDF)
423:ISBN
415:"20"
346:ISBN
325:2016
293:ISBN
194:, a
52:Oulu
444:in
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