Joseph Merrick, known as the Elephant Man, was a severely deformed Englishman who became a celebrity in the Victorian era. He suffered from Proteus Syndrome, a congenital condition causing uneven growth and tumors. He was shunned by society and worked as a sideshow attraction until he was offered a position at a London hospital. He died in 1890 and his skeleton was once on display but has since been removed. His legacy endures in popular culture.
Joseph Merrick, who came to be known as the Elephant Man, was a severely deformed Englishman who attracted a lot of attention in the Victorian era when he was somewhat of a celebrity. The Elephant Man has become a popular figure of piety and interest after being visited by prominent members of British society, including the Queen, and has been the subject of numerous pamphlets, books and films. Thanks to his fame, Joseph Merrick’s legacy endures in popular culture, with references to him occasionally appearing in historical novels and films set during his lifetime.
The Elephant Man was born in 1862 as a perfectly ordinary boy. However, by the age of three, he started developing strange lumps and spots all over his body, and over time, his body gradually became severely deformed with overgrowths of bone, skin, and large tumors. Joseph Merrick was shunned by people in his community as a hideous monster, and eventually struck out on his own, trying to support himself by working as a sideshow attraction.
In 1886, however, sideshows were banned in Victorian England and Merrick made his way to the Continent, hoping to find work there. However, he found himself exploited instead, so he returned to England, where he at least spoke the language. Upon his return, he reconnected with Frederick Treves, a physician he had met several years earlier, and Treves offered Merrick a position in a London hospital in exchange for agreeing to be studied.
Joseph Merrick spent his years at the London Hospital, welcoming visitors from the highest ranks of British society along with physicians and biographers. He was described by contemporaries as a very sensitive and friendly man who was frustrated by his appearance, as one might well imagine. During his years at the London Hospital, he was periodically taken on various outings to experience the countryside, and was said to be much in love with the fresh air and relative isolation of the countryside. In 1890 he died of complications related to his medical condition.
One of the most pressing mysteries about the Elephant Man is what medical condition he had. The Victorians believed he suffered from an extreme case of elephantiasis, a condition that affects lymphatic circulation. However, this did not explain the severe deformities of his skeleton, nor the tumors that appeared all over his body. In the 1970s, medical researchers suggested that he might have been suffering from neurofibramatosis, a type of genetic disorder. However, tests of his skeleton in 2003 revealed that the Elephant Man did indeed have Proteus Syndrome, a congenital condition that would cause parts of his body to grow unevenly while also producing tumors.
At one time, Joseph Merrick’s skeleton was on display at the London Hospital. It has since been removed from public display, out of respect for his remains, although researchers can access the skeleton for study purposes.
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