Friday 25 September 2009

DR WHO?

Walking down Wimpole Street in London the other week, I noticed - on the wall of the house at No 6 - a plaque to surgeon, Sir Frederick Treves.


Though the plaque does not mention the specific fact, this is the physician who famously took care of Joseph Merrick, the severely deformed individual whose life story was told in David Lynch's 1980 film, The Elephant Man, starring John Hurt as Merrick and Anthony Hopkins as Treves.

As a reminder of this wonderful movie, here's the original trailer...



And the heart-rending scene in which Joseph Merrick displays the human soul within the seeming monster by reciting the 23rd Psalm...





2 comments:

Sheila said...

Sorry, Brian, but once a librarian, always a librarian: I notice your spelling of Treves doesn't tally with that of the Blue Plaque Company (or whoever it is who puts up the plaques)!

Brian Sibley said...

Duly corrected, ma'am!