The Wild Boy of Aveyron
A boy who seemed to have grown up alone in the forests of southern France walked out of the woods one winter's day.
What was reported
On 8 January 1800, a boy of about 12 came out of the woods near Saint-Sernin-sur-Rance, in southern France. He was naked, couldn't speak and behaved like a wild animal; people had glimpsed him in the forests for some years.
He was taken to Paris, where the young doctor Jean Itard took him in, named him Victor and spent five years trying to teach him language and social skills. Victor came to understand a good deal, but never learned to speak more than a few words.
Explanations offered
Some think Victor had lived alone in the woods for years; others think he had a developmental condition, perhaps autism, and had been abandoned not long before he was found. Itard's detailed reports became founding works in special education and inspired François Truffaut's film The Wild Child.
- When
- 8 January 1800
- Where
- Saint-Sernin-sur-Rance, Aveyron, France
- Witnesses
- Villagers, then doctors in Paris
- Status
- Disputed
Famous cases are real, widely reported events. Each file sets out what witnesses said and the explanations that have been offered, without taking a side.