Mind Blowing

CT scans show a mummified head (see the first slide in this gallery) that in the 19th century was surgically cut and peeled to expose the brain.
Chemical analysis of small pieces that had broken off the antique exhibits showed that "an enormous amount of mercury" was used to petrify the human body parts and organs, Piombino-Mascali said. Potassium, iron, barium, and arsenic were also among the preservatives Rini used.
"These chemical substances were probably mainly heavy metals, which would have saturated the piece and made it stone-like," he added.