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Not comparable :-).

There weren't other "Tarrares" around "surviving."

Okay yes, but... eating a toddler is crossing a line.

That is part of the illness. He was not starving.

What makes you say that? He weighed 45kg at 17 despite the appetite. (Unless you're using an annoyingly rigid definition of 'starving' I suppose, that precludes just about anyone in any developed country experiencing it; in which case yes, fine, true, not the point.)

Somehow he was noticeably underweight despite eating prodigious amounts regularly. Who's to say he wasn't experiencing the physical and mental symptoms of starvation?

he was thought to have a damaged amygdala leading to hyperthyroidism, and his autopsy discovered exudative diarrhea common among IBS/UC sufferers.

One illness increase metabolism and appetite, the other diseases decrease absorption across the board.

I think it's a fair assertion given the behavior and the medical nuances that he likely felt a pretty powerful hunger.