When Bones Weld

Fibrodysplasia Ossificans Progressiva, or FOP, is a rare autosomal dominant disorder first reported in 1648 in which the soft connective tissue of the body literally turns to bone, painfully freezing the body in an immobile state. Only about 2,500 people in the world have FOP. The skeleton of Harry Eastlack, a FOP sufferer, is on display at the Mutter Museum in Philadelphia.