Joseph Merrick was originally thought to be suffering from elephantiasis. In 1971, Ashley Montagu suggested in his book The Elephant Man: A Study in Human Dignity that Merrick suffered from neurofibromatosis type I, a genetic disorder also known as von Recklinghausen's disease.
Layers of the Epidermis. The epidermis is divided into five layers. From outside to inside (dermis). Of note, Langerhans cells, which are specialized antigen-presenting cells are present in all layers of the epidermis but are mostly in the stratum spinosum.
The skin has two principal layers. 1  The epidermis is the epithelial tissue layer of skin. 2  Hair follicles, sebaceous glands, and sweat glands are epithelial invaginations from the epidermis. 3  The dermis is the connective tissue layer of skin. The epidermis is the epithelial tissue layer of skin. 2  Hair follicles, sebaceous glands, and sweat glands are epithelial invaginations from the epidermis. 3  The dermis is the connective tissue layer of skin. 4  Embedded within the dermis are hair follicles and sweat glands as well as blood vessels and sensory nerve endings.