I hate to think what Jackson does "after hours" with those remains. ;') Actually, he doesn't have them...
The Elephant Man's Bones Reveal Mystery by Mary Kugler
http://rarediseases.about.com/cs/proteussyndrome/a/031301.htm
A radiologist, Amita Sharma, of the National Institutes of Health (U.S.), examined x-rays and CT scans of Merrick's skeleton (kept at the Royal London Hospital since his death). Dr. Sharma determined that Merrick had Proteus syndrome, an extremely rare disorder, itself only identified in 1979.
Proteus syndrome
Named for the Greek god who could change his shape, this rare hereditary disorder is characterized by multiple lesions of the lymph glands (lipolymphohemangiomas), overgrowth of one side of the body (hemihypertrophy), an abnormally large head (macrocephaly), partial gigantism of the feet, and darkened spots or moles (nevi) on the skin. Merrick's appearance, and especially his skeleton, carry all the hallmarks of the disorder, although apparently an extremely severe case. His head was so large that the hat he wore measured three feet in circumference.
I think Merrick was correct with the first diagnosis - that his head was so big because it was so full of dreams.
RE:Elephant Man/Proteus Syndrome?"his head was so large that the hat he wore measured 3ft in circumference" Has anyone noticed how big Ted Kennedy's head is?How about John Kerry, abnormally large jaw w/profound elongation of skull/facial bones?Coincidence?