William Thompson's Preserved Scalp

Origin
William Thompson survived a scalping by belligerent Cheyenne tribesmen. In route to repair a broken telegraph line for his railroad company, his train was attacked and all the other crewmembers were killed. Thompson’s life was spared, but he was shot in the shoulder and had has scalp detached from his head. Oddly, the warriors left Thompson’s scalp instead of taking it away as a trophy. He survived, as the hot August heat stopped the bleeding from his head. When he awoke, he boarded a train to find a doctor to reattach his scalp to his skull. Unable to find a willing practitioner, Thompson decided to instead display the severed scalp in England, relating his story of survival to others (for a small fee, of course.)

Effects
Improves bravery and strength in whoever holds the scalp. The user's skin becomes tanned enough to become preserved, while the scalp painfully removes itself as if by cutting. During removal, the user becomes paralyzed and demonstrates signs of death, but remain alive. After removal, the nerves in the user's head become damaged, and are unable to sense the elements.