A Historical Link to the Elephant Man

ELEPHANT MAN SOCIETY RAISES FUNDS FOR PROTEUS SYNDROME

International advocacy group and historical society ‘The Friends of Joseph Carey Merrick’, a group dedicated to promoting the story of Joseph Merrick (The Elephant Man) for educational purposes, as well as raising awareness of his medical condition (Proteus Syndrome), offer a historical charity auction. All funds raised will be donated to the Proteus Syndrome Foundation UK.

The Friends of Joseph Carey Merrick, an international advocacy group for Joseph Merrick – the Elephant Man – offers a historical charity auction to help raise funds for Proteus Syndrome research.

In March of 2009, the city of Leicester lost one of its greatest historical monuments: The Gaiety Theatre. The theatre was the first location where Joseph Merrick (The Elephant Man) appeared as a “curiosity”.

Following the demolition, approximately 150 rose stones from the theatre façade were saved by a local salvage yard (Lost World). One of these magnificent stones was donated to the group in the hopes to help raise research money for Proteus Syndrome– the medical condition with which Merrick was diagnosed.

Proteus Syndrome, a very rare disorder involves severe overgrowth of the bones and soft tissues, with external and internal tumors affecting the internal organs. With less than 100 cases worldwide, Merrick’s case is the most extreme example documented in history.

In observation of Merrick’s 147th birthday (August 5), the group has listed the donated rose stone on eBay. The auction ends on August 15th, and will hopefully raise a generous amount to be donated in its entirety to the Proteus Syndrome Foundation for research.

The flat bas-relief stone measures 12″x12″x2.5” and weighs a massive 10kgs (22lbs). This is one of the final tangible connections left to Merrick’s life and an authentic example of true 19th century Victorian architecture. The auction can be found on ebay.co.uk by searching “Joseph Rose Stone”.