Merrick’s Elephant
December 8, 2004
Joseph Carey Merrick, famously known as the Elephant Man, always intrigued me after seeing the film of the same name starring Anthony Hopkins and John Hurt (as the Elephant Man). His story is one that exists without peace and begins with a tortured life through the eyes of society. The Merrick depicted in the movie while slightly skewed by Hollywood still paints an eerie portrait of a man whose only need was to be accepted in the society that shunned him.
According to About.com, at a young age Joseph’s mother noticed that her son’s skin was becoming blotchy and bulbous. Lumps began to form under his skin in several areas on his body including the back of his neck and on his chest. As Joseph got older the right side of his head enlarged and by the age of 12 his hands were so deformed they were rendered useless. Despite his condition, Joseph attempted to work a factory job but was ultimately made fun of and abused by the workers, to the point where he ended up as an oddity in a freak show.
At the time, doctors were convinced that Merrick suffered from elephantiasis, a rare disorder of the lymphatic system caused by parasitic worms such as Wuchereria bancrofti, Brugia malayi, and B. timori, all of which are transmitted by mosquitos.
Recently, however, researchers have concluded that The Elephant Man suffered from something different. In 1996, a radiologist named Amita Sharma of the National Institutes of Health (U.S.) determined that Merrick lived his life with Proteus syndrome, a condition identified in 1979. Proteus syndrome, named after the Greek god of the same name who could change shape, is a rare disorder that is characterized by “multiple lesions of the lymph glands (lipolymphohemangiomas), overgrowth of one side of the body (hemihypertrophy), an abnormally large head (macrocephaly), partial gigantism of the feet, and darkened spots or moles (nevi) on the skin.”
Recent study of Merrick’s skeleton and documented photos have determined that Merrick suffered from an extreme case of Proteus syndrome, to the point where the hat he wore was reportedly measured three feet in circumference.
In the end, Joseph’s dying wish was to fit in with society, to blend in with the population to the point where he was just another human being instead of being shunned as a freak of nature or an obtrocity of man, as he was described by those who refused to understand his circumstances. In the movie and in real-life, Joseph couldn’t sleep lying down because of the size and weight of his head. Rather, he had to sleep sitting up with pillows propped up behind his head to support the weight. On one particular morning in 1890, he was found lying on his back, his wind pipe crushed to the point where he died of suffocation. He was only 28 years old.
11 comments
God, what a sad story. I’m always impressed by the lack of respect and care for those people back in the olé days.
by Rob Mientjes on December 8, 2004 at 11:41 am. #
As easy it would be to say “those were different times — now we know better through medical science” I fear that, in society acceptance terms, we haven’t made much progress as we still deliberately shun those of us with disabilities for being “different”, and the “values” of social acceptance we get through TV and movies certainly don’t help much either.
by beto on December 8, 2004 at 12:29 pm. #
I know for a fact that society hasn’t changed. Particularly nasty is school kids. In high school, I could point out about 10 kids, all guys, who were notorious for picking on those who were less fortunate. One girl killed herself because of all the insults she experienced at school. It’s terrifying how mean kids can be, and not care.
by Matt Burris on December 8, 2004 at 10:24 pm. #
Hey…your brother has lumps on his head.….maybe he’s a Naval LumpyHead boy.…
It will be great seeing you both in January.…but remember I’m still “the boss”
by Dad on December 8, 2004 at 11:13 pm. #
John Merrick was born in my home city Leicester in the uk. A better link, if you are interested, is here> http://phreeque.tripod.com/joseph_merrick.html
by Steve Castledine on January 12, 2005 at 3:13 pm. #
I have been thinking a lot about intolerance by society towards the very different.
If you see somebody deformed or the sort, the first reaction is always becoming repulsed. What you do next is what separates the intelligent man from a talking monkey.
However, the reaction is there in all of us. I wanted to know why. I think it is an instinct that has been present probably for millions of years. It keeps the bloodline of the species strong. We are repulsed by something that wouldnt be good idea to pass down to the next generation; therefore it has a lesser chance to contaminate the gene pool.
So, having a strong reaction to things (and human beings) is a leftover instinct from times when everybody was as hairy as Ron Jeremy.
by Bald Eagle on May 25, 2005 at 1:34 am. #
I am so angry with the way people treated him. What an enormous lack of respect people have for others, even today. I too am made fun of for my physical features. What did a 27 year old man, and a 16 year old girl ever do to society to deserve this? Will we ever feel comfortable leaving our homes, and knowing we are appreciated? “Nothing will die.”
by Madeline Joan of Arc Cherluck on January 5, 2006 at 4:10 pm. #
Why can’t society just leave us alone already? I am so tired of the lack of resect I see everyday. I am physically different, and I don’t know how much time I have left. All I know is that I am only 16. Last year a young man in a bus yelled these words to me. “Go home and drink some poisen for me” This happened every day for a whole year. If anyone out there cares about me, please tell me.
phreakofghostmusic@yahoo.com
by Madeline Cherluck on January 5, 2006 at 4:14 pm. #
[Comment ID #11989 Will Be Quoted Here]
dont bother what they sayjust be your self
by cory on November 8, 2006 at 10:45 am. #
[Comment ID #11989 Will Be Quoted Here]
dont bother what they say just be your self and rmember dont listen to them
by cory on November 8, 2006 at 10:47 am. #
Hi, Madeline! People really bite, don’t they? I’m from a family with a couple of tetchy genes; I look okay, but I’m deaf, so all the “experts” INSISTED that I MUST be retarded! I’m a college level reader, but until recently — and in spite of my emphatic protests — I was folding cardboard jewelry boxes at the “retarded’” table in a sheltered workshop! My advice to you is to advise these maggot-brains to do us all a favor, go find a nice vertical press somewhere and stick their head in it! By the way…
1. I’ve had a couple of deformed kittens born from my cats; one of them, I swear to God, had an enlarged head just like Joseph’s — it was SO cute!!! It didn’t live very long, but I loved it on sight! I never learned its sex, but I named it Snowdrop! A tabby-and-white kitten, it was! Is it possible for a cat to have Proteus? Anyone? The other two, Valentine (another tabby) and Little Wing (a black kitten), were born with their insides on the outside; they didn’t live, either, but they were adorable all the same, and I loved them!
2. Did you ever see that pix of Joseph where he’s posing in the buff for Treves’ photographer, facing forward? Look at the relatively normal left side of his face, REALLY look at him…am I the only person in the world who thinks that this man was — in his own unique way — kind of cute? I MEAN — those EYES! He had a nice neck and upper shoulders, too! And, um… Damn pity they were all xenophobes in those days! Oh, well, their loss!
Anyway…hang in there, sister!!!
(P.S. — be sure to play my “JOSEPH CAREY MERRICK” quiz on Amiwrong!)
(P.P.S. — be sure to come and see Niagara Falls — it’s awesome!)
by Mary on November 30, 2006 at 10:11 pm. #