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.
Layers of the Epidermis. 1  Stratum corneum: The outmost layer, made of dead keratinocytes with a layer of protein around them (they have undergone keratinization) 2  Stratum lucidum: Also dead keratinocytes (there is no real distinction here other than that the poor keratinocytes have died but have not finished the keratinization process)