the elephant man
...owmen in early June 1886. Merrick made his way to Ostend where he was befriended by Mr. Wardell Cardew. He then traveled back up the coast to Antwerp where he took a steamer to Harwich. It is difficult to imagine the horror of Merrick's predicament. Apart from the obvious impediments of appearance and speech, he had no language other than English, and no experience of fending for himself. Somehow he managed the crossing and arrived eventually at London's Liverpool Street Station where he nearly caused a riot. (http://www.whonamedit.com/doctor.cfm/475.html) In June 1886, Merrick arrived at Liverpool Street railway station - he limped along the quay as children ran ahead. An eager mob jostled to peep beneath his cloak and mock his physical looks. He had not eaten, drunk little and received neither sympathy nor understanding. He wanted to hide from these tormentors. Penniless and alone, he had no home or lodgings. Mercifully, the intervention of the police prevented further ridicule and it was a lone constable who noticed the card. Dr. Treves wasted no time! (http://www.whonamedit.com/doctor.cfm/475.html) A vacant room used for emergencies - delirium tremens or the insane - was made available in Bedstead Square at the rear of The London Hospital. Joseph lived in security under the wing of medicine, being treated for exhaustion, malnutrition, and bronchitis. (http://www.whonamedit.com/doctor.cfm/475.html) On December 4, 1886, Richard Carr Gomm, director of the London Hospital, wrote to The Times, outlining Merrick’s case and appealing for financial support. The response was immediate and he was overwhelmed with donations. But money was not all. The case was so peculiar that an attendant nurse was needed. Many women replied to the advertisement but not all were suitable - one unfortunate ran screaming from the room. (http://www.whonamedit.com/doctor.cfm/475.html) The letter is as follows: Sir, In November, 1886, you were kind enough to inset in The Times a letter from me drawing attention to the case of Joseph Merrick, known as “the elephant man.” It was one of singular and exceptional misfortune; his physical deformities were of so appalling a character that he was debarred from earning his livelihood in any other way than by being exhibited to the gaze of the curious. This having been rightly interfered with by the police of this country, he was taken abroad by and Austrian adventurer, and exhibited at different place on the Continent; but one day his exhibitor, after stealing all of the savings poor Merrick had carefully hoarded, decamped, leaving him destitute, friendless, and powerless in a foreign country. With great difficulty he succeeded somehow or other in getting to the door of the London Hospital, where, through the kindness of one of our surgeons, he was sheltered for a time. The difficulty then arose as to his future; no incurable hospital would take him in, he had a horror of the workhouse, and no place where privacy was unattainable was to be thought of, while the rules and necessities of our general hospital forbade the fund and space, which are set apart solely for cure and healing, being utilized for the maintenance of a chronic case like this, however abnormal. In this dilemma, while deterred by common humanity from evicting him again into the open street, I wrote to you, and from that moment all difficulty vanished; the sympathy of many was aroused and, although no other fitting refuge offered, a sufficient sum was placed at my disposal, apart from the funds of the hospital, to maintain him for what did not promise to be a prolonged life. As an exceptional case the committee agreed to allow him to remain in the hospital upon the annual payment of a sum equivalent to the average cost of an occupied bed. Here, therefore, poor Merrick was enabled to pass the three and a half remaining years of his life in privacy and comfort. The authorities of the hospital, the medical staff, the chaplain, the sitters, and nurses united to alleviate as far as possible the misery of his existence, and he learnt to speak of his rooms at the hospital as his home. There he received kindly visits from many, among them the highest in the land, and his life was not without various interests and diversions; he was a great reader and was well supplied with books; through the kindness of a lady, one of the brightest ornaments of the theatrical profession, he was taught basket making, and on more than one occasion he was taken to the play, which he witnessed from the seclusion of a private box. He benefited much from the religious instruction of our chaplain, and Dr. Walsham How, then Bishop of Bedford, privately confirmed him, and he was able by waiting in the vestry to hear and take part in the chapel services. The present chaplain tells me that on this Easter day, only five days before his death, Merrick was twice thus attending the chapel services, and in the morning partook of the Holy Communion; and in the last conversation he had with him Merrick had expressed his feeling of deep gratitude for all that had been done for him here, and his acknowledgement of the mercy of God to him in bringing him to this place. Each year he much enjoyed a six weeks’ outing in a quiet country cottage, but was always glad on his return to find himself once more “at home.” In spite of all this indulgence he was quiet and unassuming, very grateful for all that was done for him, and conformed himself readily to the restrictions which were necessary. I have given these details, thinking that those who sent money to use for his support would like to know how their charity was applied. Last Friday afternoon, through apparently in his usual health, he quietly passed away in sleep. I have left in my hands a small balance of the money which has been sent to me from time to time for his support, and this I propose, after paying certain gratuities, to hand over to the general funds of the hospital. This course, I believe, will be consonant with the wishes of the contributors. It was the courtesy of The Times in inserting my letter in1886 that procured for this afflicted man a comfortable protection during the last years of a previously wretched existence, and I desire to take this opportunity of thankfully acknowledging it. I am, sir, your obedient servant, F.C. CARR GOMM House Committee Room London Hospital, April 15. (A Study in Human Dignity) Most caregivers were volunteers. They performed their daily functions well enough, but avoided direct contact and did not treat Joseph as an equal. This he accepted, understanding their anxiety. But, nevertheless, he needed the warmth of human contact. (http://www.whonamedit.com/doctor.cfm/475.html) To alleviate the difficulty, Dr. Treves asked a friend to help. A widow, she entered the room with a smile and shook his hand, sat on the stool and chatted for several minutes. Joseph was overcome, for the doctor learned this was the first woman to treat him with kindness. (http://www.whonamedit.com/doctor.cfm/475.html) The doctor found Joseph Merrick intelligent. He could read and his speech was progressing. The Bible and Book of Common Prayer were his favorites and far different from the newsprint or odd novel he picked up. (http://www.whonamedit.com/doctor.cfm/475.html) Dr. Treves knew little of Joseph's past but one thing was clear: Joseph loved his mother and would often say: "It is strange. You see, my mother was so beautiful". For several weeks, all went well, though events set in a period of depression. "When I am next moved, can I go to a blind asylum or to a lighthouse? Joseph was haunted by the past - from the ill treatment and the degradation he had suffered. (http://www.whonamedit.com/doctor.cfm/475.html) Dr. Treves realized this and tried to eliminate these thoughts. Walks in the hospital ground were allowed and Joseph ventured to the hospital gates. In disguise, he was but a cripple. (http://www.whonamedit.com/doctor.cfm/475.html) The case attracted much newspaper attention. Many wanted to come and see for themselves, and especially female members of the nobility showed great interest, and Joseph had a constant succession of visitors. Joseph looked forward to each new arrival and longed to hear of outside news. (http://www.whonamedit.com/doctor.cfm/475.html) Women were especially fascinated. Many came and wished him well, smiled and talked of local events. Visiting the Elephant man was in high vogue among the elegant London Ladies. On May 21, 1887, Alexandra (1844-1902), the Princess of Wales, later Queen Alexandra – and the Duke of Cambridge (1819-1904) - stayed a few moments and promised to return. Regular communication was established with the exchange of Christmas cards. He idolized her autographed photograph. (http://www.whonamedit.com/doctor.cfm/475.html) Adventure stirred inside him; he longed to step from his immediate environs into the outside world. In the summer of 1889, after new photos had been taken to document the rapid progress of the disease, Merrick spent six weeks vacationing in a gamekeeper's lodge in Fawsley Park, Northampton. Here, at last he was free to roam at nature's will, untroubled by following eyes. (http://www.whonamedit.com/doctor.cfm/475.html) Joseph returned to the security of Bedstead Square but six months later, on Friday, April 11, 1890, Joseph Carey Merrick he was found dead in his bed. Treves wrote of Merrick's death: "He was lying on his back as if asleep and had evidently died without a struggle, since not even the coverlet of the bed was disturbed." The cause of Merrick's death is not known, but it is thought that he tried to lay down to sleep in a normal manner and died of asphyxiation. He longed to sleep as others did but, because of the size of his head, had to rest crouched upon pillows. (http://www.whonamedit.com/doctor.cfm/475.html) Had it not been for Dr. Treves, he certainly would have died on the railway platform or alone in a lunatic asylum. On Tuesday, April 15, 1890, Mr. Wynne Baxter (coroner) led the judicial inquiry into Merrick’s death. In a letter dated the 16th, Richard Carr Gomm wrote a letter to the London Times detailing Merrick’s life and death is as follows: An inquest on the body of Joseph Merrick, better known as the “Elephant Man,” was held yesterday at the London Hospital by Mr. Baxter. Charles Merrick, of Church Gate, Leicester, a hairdresser, identified the body as that of his nephew. The deceased was 29 years of age, and had followed o occupation. From birth he had been deformed, but he got much worse of late. He had been in the hospital four or five years. His parents were in no way afflicted, and the father, an engine driver, is alive now. Mr. Ashe, house surgeon, said he was called to the deceased at 3:30 p.m. on Friday, and found him dead. It was expected that he would die suddenly. There were no marks of violence, and the death was quite natural. The man had great overgrowth of the skin and bone, but he did not complain of anything. Witness believed that the exact cause of death was asphyxia, the back of his head being greatly deformed, and while the patient was taking a natural sleep the weight of the head overcome him, and so suffocated him. The coroner said that the man had been sent round the shows as a curiosity, and when death took place it was decided as a matter of prudence to hold this inquest. Mr. Hodges, another house surgeon, stated that on Friday last he wet to visit the deceased and found him lying across the bed dead. He was I a ward specially set apart for him. Witnesses did not touch him. Nurse Ireland, of the Blizzard Ward, said the deceased was I her charge. She saw him on Friday morning, when he appeared in his usual health. His midday meal was taken in to him, but he did not touch it. The coroner, in summing up, said there could be no doubt that death was quite in accordance with the theory put forward by the doctor. The jury accepted this view, and returned a verdict to the effect that death was due to suffocation from the weight of the head pressing on the windpipe. Joseph Carey Merrick’s remains were cast in plaster, specimens were taken, and the body was dissected by Frederick Treves. The skeleton remains on display at the London Hospital. A successful play about Merrick, The Elephant Man, by Bernard Pomerance, opened on Broadway in 1978. An unrelated motion picture by filmmaker David Lynch was released in 1980. The film is based on Sir Frederick Treves’ The Elephant Man, and Other Reminiscences and Ashley Montagus’s (born 1905) The Elephant Man, A Study in Human Dignity. "Women and nervous persons fly in terror from the sight of him, and that he is debarred from seeking to earn a livelihood in any ordinary way, yet he is superior in intelligence, can read and write, is quiet, gentle, not to say even refined in his mind." Sir Frederick Treves was born at 8 Cornhill, Dorchester. For two years he went to the school run by William Barnes, who became his life long mentor and whose influence never left him. Frederick completed his education at Merchant Taylors in London but was always hankering for the Dorset beyond the hills. He followed his brother into the medical profession. Treves commenced his medical studies at the London Hospital in 1867 and spent all of his professional life at that institution. He is eponymically associated with ileocaecal fold. His major written work was an essay entitled Intestinal Obstruction published in 1884. He was sergeant surgeon to the King Edward VII and performed an appendicectomy and drainage of an appendix abscess on him in 1902. The operation was performed two days before the king's intended coronation. The following year he was made a baronet. While working at the London Hospital, Whitechapel he came across the sad and grossly-deformed figure of Joseph Merrick, known better as the Elephant Man. Treves befriended this pitiful man and made his last years bearable and happy. He became a distinguished surgeon and writer of medical books and more or less discovered that an inflamed appendix was an operable condition! Treves became surgeon to several members of the royal family, including Queen Victoria. His most famous patient however, was Edward VII, due to the fact that he was instrumental in canceling his coronation, having removed his appendix the day before! Treves gave up his medical career to write and he specialized in books on travel. He developed a close friendship with Hardy. Treves last book, The Elephant Man and Other Reminiscences became his most famous. His ashes rest in Dorchester cemetery. I first saw...