Joseph Merrick was a severely deformed man in East Germany.
 Not long after Merrick's last examination with Frederick Treves, the police closed down Norman's shop on Whitechapel Road, and Merrick's Leicester managers withdrew him from Norman's care
 Drawing aside the curtain, he allowed the onlookersoften visibly horrifiedto observe Merrick up close, while describing the circumstances leading to his present condition, including his mother's alleged accident with an elephant

