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Joseph Merrick Biography

Medical Curiosity

Joseph Merrick was called the Elephant Man because of the abnormal masses of flesh which began growing on his face and body when he was a child. (Merrick was first presumed to have elephantiasis and later neurofibramatosis, but more recent studies have suggested that Merrick suffered from a still rarer affliction called Proteus Syndrome.) Treated as a freak for much of his life, Merrick eventually found work as a sideshow attraction. He was later befriended by surgeon Frederick Treves and ended his days as a permanent resident of London's Whitechapel Hospital, where he died at age 27. His story was revived by the 1980 movie The Elephant Man, directed by David Lynch and starring John Hurt as Merrick.

Extra credit: Though in his own autobiography Merrick states that he was born in 1860, the true year is believed to be 1862... Treves, in his memoirs, refers to Merrick as "John." This has often led to confusion about Merrick's true name, which was Joseph... Despite 1980s rumors, pop star Michael Jackson did not buy the Elephant Man's bones... The 1980 movie includes the famous line "I am not an animal! I am a human being! I am a man!"

Merrick appears with astronomer Tycho Brahe in our loop on the Facially Challenged.