Joseph Merrick: Tragic Story of The Elephant Man
Joseph Carey Merrick was also known as the elephant man. This was due to a physical deformity that swelled his face and gave him a lumpy appearance.
While many feared the elephant man, others were intrigued. To this day, his story is one that’s examined by researchers and doctors alike.
Join us as we uncover the story behind the elephant man.
Photo credit: History
Why Was Joseph Merrick Called the Elephant Man?
The name ‘elephant man’ might make you think of a human with elephant features, but this was not the case here. Joseph Merrick was simply a human.
Merrick was granted this name while performing in human exhibitions. The bony lump on his face and the growths on his skull resembled an elephant.
His Life and Family
Joseph’s parents believed that his facial deformities were due to maternal impressions. This is the idea that physical or emotional events experienced by a mother can have a physical impact on her unborn child.
The story goes that Mary-Jane Merrick, Joseph’s mother, had been frightened by a fairground elephant while she was pregnant with him.
She believed this experience to be the cause of his rough skin. However, this was just speculation. The Merrick family had no idea what the true cause of Joseph’s condition was.
Despite Joseph’s abnormalities, Mary-Jane’s love for him never faded. She treated him as her son and nothing else. She accepted him and tried to give him as normal a childhood as possible.
Mary-Jane eventually passed away due to her battle with bronchopneumonia. At the time, Merrick was only 11 years old. This was a blow to him as his mother was his main source of support and comfort.
Not having that source of comfort anymore meant that Joseph had to deal with his father’s abuse without having anyone to turn to when it became tough.
Joseph’s father remarried after Mary-Jane passed away. Joseph’s father, as well as his new bride, rejected Joseph. His household became a miserable place to live, as his family no longer wanted him. Joseph suffered abuse at the hands of his father.
Photo credit: Wikimedia
Early Life
Joseph Merrick was born on August 4, 1862, in Leicester. His parents didn’t notice any major abnormalities until he was around the age of five.
First, they began to notice minor growths on his face and the swelling of his lips. They assumed that this was simply a part of Joseph growing into becoming a toddler. When they noticed his skin roughening, they began to worry.
Joseph injured his hip badly at one point, which left him with a distinct limp. The limp remained with him for years to come and added to the already difficult task of trying to fit in.
People were often cruel to Joseph, and his upbringing was hard.
Seeking Work
Once Joseph left school at the age of 13, he worked in a cigar factory. There, he remained employed for four years. As time went on, Merrick’s deformities made it difficult for him to do his job. Ultimately, he was forced to leave the factory as he could no longer roll cigars.
Joseph’s father eventually decided that he needed to earn some money and helped him to obtain a hawker's license. This granted the ‘elephant man’ the ability to become a door-to-door salesman.
Despite this new occupation, Joseph was unsuccessful in his efforts to become a good salesman. His inability to speak, paired with his physical deformities, made people afraid of him and wary to do business.
Joseph’s father was infuriated that his son didn’t earn any income. He was cruel and abusive. At the age of 15, Joseph ran away from home. In the days following, he lived homeless until his uncle took him in. He didn’t give up on the idea of being a salesman, although he was met with minimal success. His license was withdrawn, and he was unable to pursue sales.
When Joseph was around 17 years old, his uncle realized that he could no longer afford to support him. Joseph left and joined the Leicester Union workhouse. This was for people who couldn’t support themselves and were looking for employment. After a couple of months, Joseph was still unemployed.
Career
Having found zero success at the workhouse, Joseph turned to a career in human novelty exhibitions, also known as sideshows.
In the 19th century, these shows were a form of entertainment. Hundreds of viewers would line up to see the world’s most interesting human oddities - people with unique features.
Joseph contacted a well-known showman named Sam Torr and asked if he could be an exhibit in one of Sam’s shows. Sam accepted Joseph’s request and assembled a management team. Joseph was granted the stage name of the Elephant Man.
He was put on display in a moving carriage that traveled throughout the east midlands, Leicester, Nottingham, and London
Photo credit: Wikimedia
Meeting Tom Norman
The Elephant Man became a household name in England. Tom Norman, a man who owned a penny gift shop, signed Joseph for his business. A penny gift shop was a type of theatre house that provided short entertainment for lower-class citizens.
London society was curious about the Elephant Man, and wanted to learn more about him. Joseph slept in a bed at the back of Norman’s shop. Norman was curious about Joseph and how he functioned. While watching Joseph sleep, Norman realized that Joseph slept sitting up, with his head resting on his knees to avoid suffocation.
Norman took advantage of Joseph’s condition. He made posters of monster-human hybrids and sold the idea to the public that Joseph was a monster more than anything else. Joseph did not help with these posters and did not write the captions.
Before a performance, Norman would get up on stage and tell people to brace themselves for what they were about to witness.
A medical school was opposite Norman’s shop. Joseph’s condition drew the students and surgeons from the school, and many came to examine him from afar.
London Hospital
A surgeon from the school named Reginald Tucket was more intrigued by Joseph’s life and condition than anyone else at the school. He informed his superior, surgeon Frederick Treves, about the appearance of Joseph. Tucket described the Elephant Man as a disgusting specimen.
Reginald enquired with Norman if he and Treves might examine Joseph at the Royal London Hospital. Both Norman and Joseph agreed. Joseph was brought to the hospital in a coat and mask to avoid the public eye.
Treves examined Joseph. He recorded measurements for his head, arms, and fingers - each coming back with greater than average results. Joseph’s injured hip had worsened since his childhood, which was noticed by doctors.
Joseph stopped working with Norman as he tired of being treated like an animal. Unfortunately, he could not make a living and had to return. Norman and Joseph moved their shows to continental Europe. They performed the Elephant Man exhibit in Belgium. Joseph was robbed of all his life savings by his promoter at the time, setting him back at square one yet again.
Human exhibitions began to drift out of fashion. Authorities all over were working to shut down these events. The events began to be seen as degrading.
Joseph was abandoned in Brussels and managed to make his way back to England. At the time, he was penniless, and did not have family to rely on for support.
Those who tried to help Joseph couldn’t understand him, as his speech was unintelligible. However, Joseph had a calling card on him - belonging to the surgeon Frederick Treves. Treves was contacted by someone trying to help Joseph.
Final Days
Treves found Joseph Merrick and took him back to London. More tests were performed on him. It became clear that Joseph’s conditions had worsened. In addition, he contracted bronchitis.
He was nursed back to health, and given a room in the hospital by Treves. Despite the Elephant Man’s previous run-ins with doctors at the hospital, he befriended Treves. Joseph decided to reside in the hospital.
The more time the two spent together, the more Treves started to understand his speech. The doctors in the hospital helped Joseph to bathe regularly. This was important, as his growths gave off a strong odor.
After five months, the doctors realized that they were ill-equipped to deal with Joseph’s ailments. Treves reached out for help, and raised enough money to allow Joseph to stay in the hospital. This meant that Joseph could continue to sleep in his own room and receive medical treatment.
Treves visited Joseph Merrick every Sunday. These meetings were a source of great joy for Joseph - Treves could understand him and was a friend. Joseph would ask questions about life, people, and places. Treves helped him meet and interact with new people.
The below picture is of the only preserved letter that Joseph Merrick wrote. It was addressed to someone named Ms. Maturin. In it, Joseph thanks her for grouse and a book and notes that he saw Treves the previous Sunday.
Photo credit: Wikimedia
Treves helped and allowed Joseph to meet the prince and princess of Whales, travel the countryside, and interact with wealthy people. With Treves in his life - Joseph experienced more respect and care than he had in many years.
Death
The rest of Joseph’s life was spent comfortably in the London Hospital. Unfortunately, his condition worsened as the years went by. At the age of 27, he was found lifeless in his hospital bed. Joseph Merrick passed away on April 12, 1890.
Joseph had died due to suffocation. This is because he slept with his head down, and the weight of it led to him being asphyxiated.
Photo credit: Wikimedia
Treves dissected Joseph so that his soft tissue could be used. His bones and hair were salvaged. Joseph’s skeleton can be found in the Royal London hospital.
Although the earlier days of Joseph’s life were laden with misfortune, after he got to the hospital, the rest of his life was comfortable. Treves helped Joseph live a life that was much different from the one he started with.
Treves once mistakenly referred to Joseph as John in writing - thus, he is sometimes referred to as John Merrick.
Joseph Merrick’s life was one filled with abuse, manipulation, and cruelty, but through help from Treves, he was able to appreciate his life and see that he deserved to be treated as a human.
Treves presented Merrick with the opportunity to truly appreciate life by opening Joseph’s mind and allowing him to see the positives that life has to offer.
Conclusion
Medical professionals spent years studying the Elephant Man and his condition. To this day, the cause of his condition is unknown. Joseph Merrick’s life was hard, filled with cruelty and abuse.
Although his life ended too early, he was able to pass away peacefully in a good quality medical facility - the London Hospital.
The life of Joseph Carey Merrick has been the subject of many books and films, including the 1980 movie Elephant Man. This movie is well-known - it was directed by David Lynch and stars Anthony Hopkins as Joseph.
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