Gourt > Society > History > By Time Period > Nineteenth Century > People > Merrick, Joseph Carey
Joseph Carey Merrick (5 August, 1862 – 11 April, 1890), known as "The Elephant Man" gained the sympathy of Victorian era Britain because of the extreme deformity of his body. Early biographies of Merrick inaccurately give his first name as "John"; an error repeated in many later versions, including the 1980 film The Elephant Man and in the BBC 2 television programme I'm Alan Partridge. The stage play calls him Adam throughout, except for a brief acknowledgement of his name as "Joseph" after his death, when Treves "corrects" a person who wants to call him "Joseph".
Life
Born in Leicester to Mary Jane Merrick and Adam Rockley Merrick, he had a younger brother and sister. He began showing signs of deformity at age two or five (Sources differ).http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/3084483.stm His mother died when he was 11. According to family accounts, she too was "crippled." His father remarried, but his stepmother did not want the younger Joseph. She gave her husband an ultimatum: "Joseph, or me," and her husband responded by throwing Joseph out of the house.
He was forced to earn a living by selling shoe polish on the street where he would be constantly harassed by local children. For the better part of his life he was unemployable, so as a last resort he took a job as a sideshow attraction. He was treated decently, and made a small amount of money. However, when sideshows were outlawed in the United Kingdom in 1886, he travelled to Belgium to find work. There, he was mistreated and abandoned by a showman.
More on [ Joseph Merrick ]
Elephant Man, The :: E
Proteus Syndrome :: Genetic Disorders
http://bit.ly/15SLxl Picture of Joseph Carey Merrick
gaiaudino (Grazia Audino) Sat, 26 Sep 2009 12:50:05 -0000
http://bit.ly/15SLxl Picture of Joseph Carey Merrick
relata a vida e as dificuldades enfrentadas por Joseph Carey Merrick portador da S. de Proteus que provocou deformidades em 90% do seu corpo
gaiaudino (Grazia Audino) Sat, 26 Sep 2009 12:35:03 -0000
relata a vida e as dificuldades enfrentadas por Joseph Carey Merrick portador da S. de Proteus que provocou deformidades em 90% do seu corpo
relata a vida e as dificuldades enfrentada por Joseph Carey Merrick portador da S. de Proteus que provocou deformidades em 90% do seu corpo
gaiaudino (Grazia Audino) Sat, 26 Sep 2009 12:34:33 -0000
relata a vida e as dificuldades enfrentada por Joseph Carey Merrick portador da S. de Proteus que provocou deformidades em 90% do seu corpo
http://bit.ly/3g135F THE ELEPHANT MAN (1980) - relata a vida e as dificuldades enfrentada por Joseph Carey Merrick...
gaiaudino (Grazia Audino) Fri, 25 Sep 2009 18:41:44 -0000
http://bit.ly/3g135F THE ELEPHANT MAN (1980) - relata a vida e as dificuldades enfrentada por Joseph Carey Merrick...
John Merrick, the Elephant Man - An extract from Victorian Suicide: Mad Crimes and Sad Histories (1998) on this badly deformed man, Barbara T. Gates.
Joseph Carey Merrick Tribute Website - To teach the courageous and inspiring life story of the Elephant Man.
Meta Description: [ , Friends of Joseph Carey Merrick Foundation - raising awareness and understanding of those with disabilities ]
The Elephant Man's Bones Reveal Mystery - Article on the Elephant Man's true disorder.
Meta Description: [ Article looks at the medical findings in the case of Joseph Merrick, known as The Elephant Man. ]
| Behind Your Mask - Joseph Carey Merrick Tribute Video | |
| Next Video | |
