Today with so much advancement in science and research, it allows us to better understand what was misunderstood in the past. Whilst we can better name rare illnesses and rewrite inaccuracies we cannot remove the humiliation that many suffered as a result of limited knowledge and lack of acceptance. One such case was that of Joseph Merrick, widely known as the Elephant Man.
Joseph Merrick (born August 5, 1862, Leicester, Leicestershire, England—died April 11, 1890, London) was a disfigured man who, after a brief career as a professional “freak,” became a patient of London Hospital from 1886 until his death. Displays of the “Elephant Man” were part of the “human curiosities” movement of the 19th century that saw the exploitation of African slave Sarah Baartman and the rise of showman P.T. Barnum and carnival freak shows.
Merrick was apparently normal until about the age of five, when he began showing signs of a strange disorder that caused abnormal growths of much of his skin and bone.
The size of his head increased to 3 feet (almost 1 metre) in circumference, with spongy skin hanging from the back of his head and across his face; deformation of the jaws rendered him incapable of showing facial expression or speaking clearly.
Although his left arm was normal, his right arm ended in a wrist that was 12 inches (30 cm) in circumference and a finlike hand. His legs were deformed in the same manner as his arm, and a defective hip caused such lameness that Merrick could walk only with the aid of a stick. The disorder from which Merrick suffered was long thought to be an extremely severe case of neurofibromatosis, but his deformities were probably the result of an extremely rare disease known as Proteus syndrome.
Merrick was confined to a workhouse at age 17, then escaped four years later to join a freak show (1883). While on exhibition, he was discovered by a London physician, Frederick Treves, and admitted to London Hospital (1886). A letter that was published in an (unsuccessful) effort to find Merrick a hospital for chronic medical cases drew the attention of London society, which earned him a measure of fame and led to Merrick receiving visits from a number of prominent individuals, including Alexandra, princess of Wales. He remained at London Hospital until, at age 27, he died in his sleep of accidental suffocation.
Neurofibromatosis
Neurofibromatosis, either of two hereditary disorders characterized by distinctive skin lesions and by benign, progressively enlarging tumours of the nervous system. Neurofibromatosis type 1, also known as von Recklinghausen’s disease, is much the more common of the two disorders and is present in about one of every 3,000 live births.
This type is characterized by the presence of café-au-lait (pale brown) spots on the skin and the formation of numerous benign soft tumours arising from the abnormal growth of nerves. The café-au-lait spots may be present at birth or infancy, and the neurofibromas and other tumours appear in late childhood or early adulthood; the latter can sometimes result in grossly disfiguring effects owing to their large size. The course of the disease is progressive in most cases. Neurofibromatosis type 2 is a much rarer inherited disease marked by tumours of the auditory canal in the ear and by small numbers of café-au-lait spots.
Accuracy thanks to Britannica:
Britannica, The Editors of Encyclopaedia. "Joseph Merrick". Encyclopedia Britannica, 1 Aug. 2024, https://www.britannica.com/biography/Elephant-Man. Accessed 5 September 2024.
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