Chapter 3 3. A letter to The Times

I haven't seen Merrick for two years.Then one day the police found him and he had my business card in his hand, so the police took him to London Hospital.He was tired, hungry, and dirty, so I put him in a small quiet room to rest.Because he is not sick, he cannot stay in the hospital, and the beds in the hospital are of course for sick people.We cannot provide beds for the hungry or the ugly. I told the superintendent, Mr. Carl Gormond, about Merrick.He listened carefully and wrote a letter to the editor of The Times. Excerpt from The Times, December 4, 1886 Dear Sir: I am writing to you to tell you about a man in our hospital who needs your help.His name is Joseph Merrick and he is 27 years old.

He wasn't sick, but he couldn't walk out of the hospital, because he was so ugly, no one wanted to look at him, some people were afraid of him, we called him "Elephant Man". Two years ago, Merrick lived in a shop near the London hospital, and for twopence people could see him and laugh at him.One day Dr. Frederick Treves, the hospital doctor, saw Merrick, brought him to our hospital, and examined him carefully.Since Dr. Trevis could not help Merrick, he had to give him a business card. Later, the shop owner Silcock took him to Belgium, where many people wanted to see him, so, a year later, Merrick got a 50 pound note.But then Silcock took Merrick's £50, left him in Belgium, and returned to London himself.

Merrick came back to London alone, and everyone on the train and ship looked at him and laughed at him.In London, the police put him in jail.Later, they saw Dr. Trevis' business card and took Merrick to a London hospital. He had no money, couldn't work, his face and body were very ugly, and of course many people were afraid of him.However, he is a very interesting person, he can read, write, think, and he is a good person with a sense of security.Sometimes he made things with his hands and gave them to the nurses because they were kind to him. He remembers his mother, he has a picture of his mother.He said his mother was beautiful and gentle.But now he never saw her again.She had given him to Silkuk long ago.

Can the readers of The Times help us?This man is not sick, he needs a home, we can give him a house in the hospital, but we need money, please write back to the London hospital. Yours faithfully FC Carl Gormond Superintendent of London Hospital 4th December 1886 The readers of The Times have been kind enough to give us a lot of money. A week later we received £50,000, enough to keep Merrick in hospital for the rest of his life.We can give him a home.