In Search Of... Season 6 # 5, The Elephant Man

In London, in the 1880s, a strange, misshapen figure appeared in a small carnival side show.  Who was the elephant man and what caused his grotesque appearance?

Poverty-bread diseases really surprised doctors in the London hospital at that time. John Meric's case came to the attention of Dr. Fredric Treeves. "I first saw John Meric, the elephant man as he became known, in November of 1884." He had been lead to an empty warehouse where it was cold and windy and John Meric as sitting in a corner, a hunched figure. "In my profession I have seen many gross deformedness, and I can honestly say: 'Never before or since have I seen a more pathetic, disgusting spectacle than poor John Meric'."

Dr. Treeves took John Meric away from the person exploiting him to give him a home, a room in the hospital. For three years he lived in the hospital, reading and building miniature buildings. During this time he made friends and widened the experience of the people who were in contact with him.

Today 100 000 people in the United States alone are victims of the elephant man's disorder: Neurofibromatosis. How do people who are effected by the disease cope with it today?
The disorder is genetic. Plastic surgery is a partial answer. Self-help-groups make people share their experiences and cope better.   In the end a contact address is given.