India Rubber Men and elastic performers in travelling shows
eventevidence: historical record
Late nineteenth-century travelling shows featured performers whose extreme flexibility and skin elasticity were their livelihood. James Morris, who performed with Barnum and Bailey, earned $150 per week in the 1880s. Medical literature of the era (Wile 1883, Gould and Pyle 1897) documented some of them. Attributing EDS to them in hindsight is plausible for some performers and unprovable for most.
Not medical advice. This page summarizes research and does not recommend any course of care.
| EDS types | unspecified |
|---|---|
| Date | 1880s |
| Diagnostic criteria | Before formal classification |
| Last checked | 2026-09-16 |
Evidence
historicalretrospective account
Wile 1883 and Gould and Pyle 1897 as cited by Parapia and Jackson.