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.
Five structurally different layers can be identified: 1  The stratum basale. is the deepest layer of the epidermis (closest to the dermis). 2  In the stratum spinosum, the cells become irregularly polygonal. 3  The stratum granulosum. consists, in thick skin, of a few layers of flattened cells.  The stratum lucidum.