Cause of death Pneumonia | Name Harry Eastlack | |
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Born November 1933 (age 39), Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA Similar Helen Taft Manning, Gino Marchetti, Francis M Taitt Died November 11, 1973 (aged 39) Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, US Nationality American | ||
Stone Man Syndrome | The Man With a Second Skeleton (Disturbing Disorders)
Harry Raymond Eastlack, Jr. (1933–1973) suffered from Fibrodysplasia ossificans progressiva (FOP), a rare and poorly understood disease in which the bone repair mechanism runs out of control, turning other tissue like muscles and tendons into bone. Eastlack permitted his skeleton to be preserved for scientific research, and it is today on display at the Mütter Museum of The College of Physicians of Philadelphia. His skeleton is one of the few existing in the world and a valuable asset to the study of the disease which is supported by the International FOP Association.
At age 5, he broke his left leg while playing with his sister. There were complications with the fracture, which did not set properly. The hip and knee stiffened and bone growths began to develop on the muscles of his thigh. Within some years the condition spread to other parts of his body, ossifying his tendons and muscle and fusing his joints. By his mid-20s his vertebrae had fused together. He passed away due to pneumonia in November 1973, just six days shy of his 40th birthday. By the time of his death, his body had undergone complete ossification, with his jaw becoming immobile, restricting his movement to only his lips.
Harry Eastlack is referred to in the movie Tell Tale as Harry Erlich.
