wild boy of Aveyron

n. A boy of about 8–12 years of age who had been living without human contact until discovered by a group of hunters in the forest near Aveyron, France, in 1798 and studied by Jean-Marie Gaspard Itard. He is considered a classical example of a feral child and was unable to speak a human language, wore no clothes, had numerous scars from fights with wild animals on his body, and appeared to know nothing of human culture. Some French doctors examined him and concluded he was a mentally deficient child deserted by his parents. He learned to speak only two words, milk and Oh God, but learned behaviorally with kind treatment. There has been much debate as to whether he was actually genetically deficient or had missed a critical period for learning language in early childhood.