Introducing...Joseph Merrick AKA The Elephant Man

Welcome to part one of a series of articles about Joseph Merrick, a man who suffered a terrible disease.

If you've ever been the victim of bullying, then you'll partly understand some of what Joseph Carey Merrick went through. However, most of us leave this torment behind once we become adults, yet Joseph's suffering continued for many years. We're all called names as we go through school, and sometimes beyond school as well. Yet, as we grow, we learn to deal with it better because we know that what is important is inside of us and we can tell that the name callers are more to be pitied, than to be listened to.

Imagine people looking at you in shock & horror. Imagine being put on show for all to bear witness to your ugliness. Although sometimes by choice, this is what Joseph Merrick endured. In an age where people were less understanding, Joseph Merrick's deformities could not easily be overlooked. He was given the name the "Elephant Man," and he is still known by that name today, more than 100 years later.

Joseph Merrick was born in my home town of Leicester on August 5th, 1862. Joseph lived with his mother, younger brother Arthur, and sister Marion, until Joseph's mother died in 1873, leaving Joseph with an uncaring father who didn't really want him around. Even when Joseph's father remarried, it was to a woman who saw Joseph as an embarrassment and who eventually told Joseph's dad, "It's either him or me." Joseph was forced to work selling shoe-black on the streets, a chore that left him an open target for scores of children who teased him for amusement.

Joseph was not accepted for most of his life. Nobody would employ him, despite the fact that he was willing to work at anything to gain money. On December 29th, 1879, Joseph Merrick was admitted to the Leicester Workhouse. Although he left after just 6 weeks, he had to return a few days later because he had no money. Joseph had pride that far outweighed his deformity; he could write, speak well and read, which was very rare among the poorer classes of the 19th century.