DARK John piece

Attempting to sound out John's motivations from Into the Black. Which, this being Jack the bloody Ripper, went to some VERY dark places. Rough piece, mostly me trying to make some sense of him.

Title: Blood
Rating: R (violence)
Fandom: Sanctuary
Characters/Pairings: John Druitt, mention of Helen, Adam, John/Helen
Summary: Introspective piece. John lying there after Helen's left
Wordcount: 2004
Warnings/Notes: Spoilers for 3x20, Into the Black. DARK. Violence. Jack the bloody Ripper. John's somewhat frenzied here, too
Disclaimer: Not mine

( Blood )

History Question

Random question. Anyone out there with a historical bent, in 19th century America, what did the phrase "seeing the elephant" mean? *curious* I'm mostly catching references to it in terms of soldiers in the Civil War, but it also seems to have had a broader usage. Anyone know?