Who is Victor of Aveyron from Genie: A Scientific Tragedy and what is their importance?

Victor of Aveyron had his throat slashed before being left to die in the woods of France. He was discovered ten years later and taken to Paris where several doctors evaluated his condition, declaring him retarded and unable to learn. Jean-Marc-Guspard Itard, however, took a second look and chose to take Victor under his care. Itard tried to teach Victor language and was successful in teaching him to write certain words and to recognize pictures of certain items.