He asked to be exhibited as a curiosity because it was the only work available to him. A hospital chairman's letter to a newspaper is the reason he ultimately died with a roof over his head.
Joseph Carey Merrick, known as "the Elephant Man," was an Englishman born in 1862 with severe physical deformities that led him into a life first as a sideshow performer, then under the care of London Hospital, where he became a subject of significant medical and public interest.
An Ordinary Start, A Changing Body
Merrick was born a healthy baby in Leicester, England, on August 5, 1862. His parents believed his mother's pregnancy had been affected after she was knocked over by a fairground elephant, though this was never medically confirmed. As a young child, he developed lumpy, discolored skin, a bony growth on his forehead, and progressive enlargement of one arm and both feet. A childhood fall left him permanently lame in one hip. Despite his growing physical differences, he attended school and remained close with his mother.
Loss and Hardship
Merrick's mother died of bronchial pneumonia in 1873, when he was 11 — a loss he later called the greatest sadness of his life. His father remarried within the year, and Merrick left school to work, first rolling cigars in a factory until his deforming right hand made the work impossible, then as a door-to-door peddler for his father's shop, a job made difficult by how frightening or hard to understand people found him. After a severe beating from his father over insufficient earnings, Merrick briefly stayed with an uncle before entering the Leicester Union Workhouse at 17, a situation he found unbearable but had no alternative to.
A Sideshow Career
In 1884, seeking any way out of the workhouse, Merrick partnered with Sam Torr, a Leicester music hall owner, to be exhibited as "the Elephant Man" in traveling human oddity shows. The exhibit found success in Leicester and Nottingham before moving to London, where Merrick wore a cape and veil in public to avoid harassment, though crowds frequently mobbed him regardless.
Frederick Treves
While displayed near London Hospital, Merrick drew the attention of surgeon Frederick Treves, who examined him and later presented his case to London's Pathological Society. Merrick declined further examination at the time, later saying the experience had made him feel like "an animal in a cattle market." As public appetite for human oddity shows declined in Britain, Merrick's show moved to Belgium, where it found only modest success before his manager stole his savings and abandoned him. Attempting to return to England in 1886, Merrick was mobbed by a crowd at Liverpool Street Station and taken into police custody; officers, unable to understand his speech, found Treves's card among his belongings and brought him to London Hospital.
A Home for Life
Treves found Merrick's condition had significantly worsened. Because the hospital wasn't equipped to care for long-term "incurable" cases, its chairman, Francis Carr Gomm, published a letter in The Times describing Merrick's situation and appealing for help. The public response was substantial enough to fund permanent living quarters for Merrick within the hospital starting in 1887, and he received support from members of British high society, including actress Madge Kendal, who helped raise funds and sent gifts, and Alexandra, Princess of Wales.
Final Years
Merrick spent his remaining years largely at the hospital, occasionally visiting the theatre and countryside, and building a close friendship with Treves, one of the few people able to understand his speech clearly. He died on April 11, 1890, at age 27. His death was attributed to asphyxiation, believed to have occurred because the weight of his head, while he lay down to sleep in a more typical position than the sitting posture he normally required, caused his neck to dislocate.
A Condition Never Definitively Diagnosed
The exact cause of Merrick's deformities has never been conclusively established. Proteus syndrome, a rare genetic disorder, is now considered by many researchers the most likely explanation, either alone or possibly combined with neurofibromatosis type 1, though no definitive posthumous diagnosis has ever been confirmed.
Frequently Asked Questions
What actually caused Joseph Merrick's condition?
It's never been definitively diagnosed. Proteus syndrome, a rare genetic disorder, is considered the most likely explanation today, possibly alongside neurofibromatosis type 1.
How did Joseph Merrick die?
He died in 1890 at age 27, believed to have suffocated after lying down in a sleeping position his condition normally prevented him from using.
Who was Frederick Treves?
The London Hospital surgeon who examined Merrick, arranged his permanent care at the hospital, and became one of his closest friends during his final years.