LONDON, July 22 (UPI) -- A TV documentary will offer a scientific view of what Joseph Merrick, the Elephant Man, may have looked like if he had not suffered a genetic affliction.
The London Telegraph said scientists have recreated an image of Merrick without the condition that condemned him to a life as an exhibit in a Victorian freak show.
He was known as the Elephant Man because he believed his appearance was the result of his mother being frightened by an elephant while she was pregnant.
Merrick died in 1890 of asphyxiation while in the London Hospital. His story was told in the film, "The Elephant Man," starring John Hurt.
The Discovery health channel's documentary will show a reconstruction developed with the use of a descendant's facial templates, Merrick's skull and modern imaging equipment.
The work is also designed to identify the exact condition that afflicted Merrick.
