Fibrodysplasia Ossificans Progressiva (FOP)
The skeleton of a sufferer of fibrodysplasia ossificans progressiva (FOP). Descriptions of medical cases in which people have apparently turned slowly to stone have been recorded since the 19th century; it is possible that some of these cases may be founded in reality. This “stone man syndrome” occurs due to an exceptionally rare genetic disorder causing damaged connective tissue to essentially transmute into bone due to a corruption of the normal repair process. This can often cause the paralysis of joints and ultimately the entire skeleton, as seen here.Curiously (yet terrifyingly) the disease does not immobilize the heart, eyes, smooth muscle or diaphragm, allowing these organs to sustain life and the senses even as the rest of the body is frozen in place.
