19th century Beauchene 'exploded' skull. Human skull that has been disarticulated along the existing fissures and joints of its bones. Here the skull was filled with rice and placed in a humid atmosphere. The rice was allowed to absorb the moisture from the air, causing it to expand and split the bones apart. The specimen was then mounted to demonstrate the normal relative positions of the bones. Photographed in the museum of the National Veterinary School of Alfort, Maisons-Alfort, France.