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Show Ossification of the Organs of a Living Person Odd Disease; Man's Eyes Affected The eyes of a man in Pasadena are gradually turning to stone in his head. Cases of ossification when the tissues and organs of living persons turn to stone are rare. Only 71 have been recorded in medical history his-tory and of that number the case of the Pasadena, man, referred to as "Mr. Z." by American medical authorities, Is the only one known where the disease has affected the eyes, observers a writer in Pearson's Pear-son's London Weekly. "Mr. Z." has been a victim of the disease since 1933. Complete ossification ossi-fication may take from 10 to 15 years. The only known cure is said to be the surgical removal of the parathyroid gland. Recently an Australian was saved from being literally pressed to death by having a casing of stone round his heart chipped away by surgeons. Not only the heart and the eyes may be attacked by stone deposit. Sometimes it is the lung. Rarely does the whole body become the field of the hardening process and the "living statue" become reality. But this is possible. A young American Amer-ican girl who was affected in this way died in 1934. . The disease is caused by overactivity over-activity of the parathyroid gland, which causes the transfer of the calcium from the bones to the soft tissues of the body. Everyone of us carries about within us a load, several stones in weight of limestone, lime-stone, or potential limestone. Should this solidify in one mass, ossification ossifica-tion sets in. The disease is exemplified in a minor way when the lime settles out in organs, forming gallstones or kidney kid-ney stones. A case is known in New South Wales of a man's head growing three and a half inches all round owing to limestone deposits. |