In Frederick Treves's memoirs, written about Merrick and others, he wrote the name 'Joseph', and then crossed it out and replaced it with 'John'. Having such a close relationship with his patient, I find it strange that he should do this. There are different views why he did it, some say, because he wrote his memoirs many years later he simply FORGOT. However, I believe that would have made more sense had he written 'John' first and corrected it with 'Joseph'. Others say, it's because Treves wanted to give Joseph's family some anonymity. Perhaps that's so. My belief however, is that Treves had the most personal experience and knowledge of Joseph and, he felt by changing the name, he would somehow benefit from keeping the identity to himself. We'll never know Treves' intention for crossing out the proper name and replacing it with a fictitious one. Nevertheless, I'd be really interested to hear your take on this.
Yes I can't really see Treves completely forgetting Joseph's name. He knew him for nearly four years,
ReplyDeleteand helped see to it that Merrick went to the theatre and to the country.
So maybe he did a little bit of both. Maybe he wanted to give Joseph some
anonymity, and maybe he wanted to claim Joseph as his own.
You think the memoirs would be different if Treves wrote about Joseph during his
younger years?
...But, if he wanted Joseph to be anonymous; protect his family...why didnt he change the LAST name, not the first???It's all a big mystery. Besides, Joseph was a celebrity, ''everyone'' knew his name. People back in Leicester who saw him hawking, and later at the Gaiety knew who he was probably, his family...they surely would have made the connection to him being at the Hospital. None of it makes sense!
ReplyDeleteInteresting question, Audrey. It was only by accident that he even wrote about Joseph after deciding he couldn't write about the celebrities he'd treated. Maybe he would have stuck closer to the truth in earlier years. In 1923 it was over thirty years after Joseph died, so Treves could play around with facts and lay on the drama for the readers.
ReplyDeleteI suspect most people in Leicester didn't care one way or the other. Only Joseph's uncle Charles kept in touch with Joseph, even offering to take him in after hearing he was at the London Hospital. It was decided that Joseph's need of daily baths would be an obstacle, and Joseph himself chose to stay. (source: Carr-Gomm, Letter to the London Times, Jan 1887)
ReplyDelete"Merrick" is a more common name than we think. It's like "Mason" or "Merrill." There were tons of Josephs and Johns in the Leicester census back then. There was even a Joseph H Merrick, born in Leicester in 1861!