Siamese sisters. Siamese twins - causes of birth and examples of separation of monochorionic monoamniotic twins

Fri, 14/03/2014 - 14:51

In the past, children born conjoined were considered freaks and their only opportunity to earn money was to perform in the circus for the amusement of the audience. Nowadays, Siamese twins are treated differently and, thanks to medicine, such people are safely separated, giving them a chance for a full life. We present to your attention 10 amazing stories about the most famous Siamese twins in history.

Byzantine twins

In ancient and medieval times, the birth of Siamese twins was considered a very bad sign, almost the machinations of the evil one, so most often they were doomed to death. However, not always. In the 10th century, a pair of twins, whose names have not been preserved by history, fell into history in Byzantium.

The boys, fused from armpits to hips, were born in Armenia, and arrived in Constantinople on a mule through Cappadocia, already as adults. The wonder was presented to the imperial court, then the Byzantine twins went on tour around the country, showing themselves for money. People mistook the guys for monsters, but physically and mentally they were normal, and by nature they were cheerful and without offense. During the reign of Constantine VII, the “monsters”, having traveled all over Asia Minor, returned to the capital.

Soon one of the twins fell ill and died. And then the doctors of Constantinople made the world's first attempt to divide the “Siamese”. The operation was successful, but three days later the second one died.

Hungarian sisters

Helen and Judith were born in Hungary in 1701, supposedly three hours apart. They say that giving birth to them was painful and Judith came out not only younger, but also weak, which played a fatal role in the life and career of the sisters.

Whether this is true or not, the frightened and exhausted mother was presented with a terrible sight: the girls’ pelvises were fused, back to back. From age two to nine, girls were paraded throughout Europe and examined by local doctors in each country.
The sisters learned many languages ​​and sang duets for the public. Judith, the second-born sister, was physically weaker: at the age of six she suffered a stroke, as a result of which the left half of her body was paralyzed, so she subsequently relied on the stronger Helen when walking.
When the girls turned nine years old, they went to a monastery, where they lived in solitude until their death; they died on the same day at the age of 22.

Chang and Eng Bunker

Conjoined twins, who went down in history under the names Chang and Eng and the surname Bunker, were born in 1811 in what is now Thailand, which in those years was also called Siam. The twins were Chinese by nationality, and Malay by their mother.

When the strange brothers were born, it turned out that they were fused in the chest area and it was impossible to separate them using the medicine of that time. The parents were able to feed and raise Chang and Eng, and in 1829 the British merchant Robert Hunter had his eye on the twins. The businessman ran a circus, with which the brothers toured all over the world, but most often in the UK and the USA. In the posters they were represented by their place of birth - Siamese twins, they say. This is how a generally accepted term arose to designate creatures with similar generic pathologies.

At the age of 21, the brothers began to receive interest from the circus's profits, and therefore soon became quite wealthy Siamese gentlemen. And masters in those days were entitled to slaves. Therefore, after retiring in 1839, Chang and Eng bought a farm with blacks in America and took the surname Bunker. In 1843, the Bunkers married sisters Sarah Ann and Adelaide, and had a total of 21 children. Sometimes they performed for good money for Barnum.

The most famous Siamese twins on the planet repeatedly asked doctors to try to separate them, but doctors did not undertake such a risky undertaking at that time. Therefore, the brothers from Thailand remained united until their death in 1874. Eng survived Chang, who died of pneumonia, by only three hours.

Millie and Christine McCoy

Since we are talking about the phenomenon of slavery in Carolina, one cannot help but recall Millie and Christine, who were born into a family of black slaves, owned by a certain McKay, in 1851.

The slave owner sold the twins along with their mother to showman John Purvis when the sisters were 8 months old. And he resold the black women to a certain Smith and Brower, from whom, in turn, the twins were stolen by competitors in the circus business. For three years, Millie and Christine worked for thieves, and then were discovered in England and almost fought back to the United States.

In America, enterprising people began raising Siamese twins. Millie and Christie were taught to sing a duet for their circus performances. In 1862, Mr. Smith died and the girls were inherited by his son Joseph, who decided to make adjustments to the acting fate of the McCoy sisters. They began to be advertised as one girl, but with two heads (“two-headed nightingale”), four arms and four legs. At the same time changing the name to Millie-Christine, with a hyphen.

Not at all offended by the merger, Millie and Christine successfully performed in front of the public, singing songs, dancing and playing musical instruments, speaking five languages. The circus performers made a lot of money from their careers and retired at age 58.

Millie and Christine McCoy lived to be 61 years old and died in 1812 from tuberculosis, 17 hours apart.

Giovanni and Giacomo Tocci

Giacomo and Giovanni Battista Tocci were born in Locane, Italy, around 1875 or 1877.

Their father was so shocked by the arrival of the twins that he went crazy and was admitted to a mental hospital about a month after the birth of his sons.
It seemed that the sons were one boy with two torsos growing from the same belt, but in fact they were two different people. When doctors in Europe examined them, this was confirmed: each twin could feel and control only one leg - they never learned to walk on their feet, but they could crawl.
Most of the time the twins got along quite well, but during conflicts they exchanged punches. The Tocci brothers spent their childhood touring Europe, and in 1891 they moved to America, where they spent five years. In 1897, having almost reached adulthood, Giacomo and Giovanni settled in a villa in Venice, voluntarily withdrawing from society and leading an extremely secluded lifestyle.
Little is known about their later life. There were untrue rumors that they married two women. They died after 1912, but the exact date of their death is also unknown.

Rosa and Josefa Blazek

Rosa and Josefa Blazek were born in Skrezov, Bohemia (now the Czech Republic) in 1878. The sisters were fused at the pelvis and shared enough bones to make separation impossible. For many years the Blazeks toured, but gradually the number of visitors, and therefore the money, became less and less.

In 1909, news appeared in the newspapers that Rosa was pregnant, and in 1910 she actually gave birth to a boy named Franz. As for the father, some newspapers wrote that it is known who this man is, but his marriage to Rosa is impossible, because in fact it would be bigamy. Others wrote that he and Rosa were married, but he died in the war.
Rose herself never said who the father was, and the child grew up an orphan, which significantly supported the twins’ careers - little Franz always accompanied Rose and Josepha during their tours. When the sisters fell ill in 1922, their brother suddenly appeared, declaring that he would take care of the sisters. In fact, he wanted to make sure that they were still not separated and that he would inherit their entire fortune.
The twins died almost simultaneously, and their fortune was $400.

Orissa sisters

Charming Radika and Dudika Naik were born in 1888 in Orissa, India. Local residents decided that fused babies were a bad omen, and the father wanted to separate them himself, but Radika and Dudika were fused with cartilage on their chests, just like Chang and Eng Bunkers.
In 1888, the girls were bought by a showman nicknamed Captain Colman - he began to show them in Europe as “exotic” Indian twins. They gained enormous fame when, in 1902, Dudika contracted tuberculosis, and Dr. Eugene-Louis Doyen from Paris urgently performed a separation operation to save at least Radika’s life.

The operation was successful, the girls were separated, but the next day Dudika died: an autopsy showed that the cause of her death was tuberculosis, and not the separation operation. However, Radika also suffered from tuberculosis and died in a Paris sanatorium a year later. Dr. Doyen filmed the operation, and as a result, the film was shown to the audience instead of the twins.

Violetta and Daisy Hilton

Violet and Daisy Hilton were born in Great Britain in 1908, they were fused in the pelvis, but they did not have any vital common organs. The twins were bought by Mary Hilton from their barmaid mother, and the girls appeared in their first show at age three.
The girls sang, danced and played musical instruments, giving performances throughout Europe and the United States, and when Mary Hilton died, the twins went to her daughter and son-in-law. In 1931, they sued their “masters” and received freedom and $100,000.

They then came up with their own theatrical production and continued to tour with this act even when they became elderly. They starred in two films - 1932's Freaks and their own fictionalized biopic, 1951's Chained for Life.

In 1961, their tour manager abandoned them in North Carolina, and they had to take jobs at a local grocery store - where they remained until their deaths from the flu in 1969. According to the forensic examination, Violet lived two to four more days after Daisy's death, but she was unable to call for help.

Simplicio and Lucio Godina

Simplicio and Lucio Godina were born in 1908 in Samar, Philippines. The two boys were fused together by cartilage and skin in their pelvises, back to back, but flexible enough to be able to turn to face each other. On tour in the United States, 11-year-old boys were seen by a wealthy Filipino, Theodore Yangeo, who took them to Manila, raised them in luxury and took care of their good education.

In 1928, Simplicio and Lucio married twin sisters (not Siamese) Natividad and Victorina Matos. True, at first the Godin brothers had to prove in court that they really were two different people - difficulties arose with this when the clerk refused to issue them marriage certificates. When the process was completed, both couples were married, and Simplicio and Lucio played musical instruments and danced with their wives.
In 1936, when the Godin brothers were still young, Lucio fell ill with pneumonia. An emergency separation operation was performed immediately after his death, but Simplicio contracted spinal meningitis and died 12 days later.

Margaret and Mary Gibb

Margaret and Mary Gibb were born in Holyoke, Massachusetts in 1912. They were luckier than many other Siamese twins: their parents did not want to show them off, sell them, or exploit them. They also did not want to separate the girls, although several doctors suggested an operation, inspired, no doubt, by the success of Dr. Doyen.

Margaret and Mary were homeschooled privately. But at the age of 14, they decided that they could make their own decisions about their lives, and went to New York in the hope of becoming successful actresses. Over the next few decades they played in small theaters and performed in the circus.
Twice there was a rumor that Margaret was engaged, and once people began to say that the twins would soon be separated. But they were never separated, and none of the sisters got married either, so all these rumors could have just been a publicity stunt.
The twins returned to Holyoke in 1942 and opened a store. In 1949, they completely retired and lived a quiet, unremarkable life until 1966, when Margaret was diagnosed with cancer. But even then, the Gibb twins refused separation surgery and died within minutes of each other in 1967.

Chang and Eng were born on May 11, 1811 in Siam, in what is now Thailand. It was after the Bunker brothers became known to the world that conjoined twins began to be called Siamese. It should be noted that the king of Siam was so amazed by the birth of Chang and Eng that he ordered the twins to be killed immediately so as not to bring trouble to the state. But the mother refused to give up her boys, and the king's order was never carried out.

At the same time, medical technologies of the 19th century did not leave Chang and Eng any chance of separation: the brothers were thoracopagi (twins fused in the chest area), and in this case the heart is always affected. Even with the current level of medicine, the chances of surviving separation are very small, and then it meant certain death. Therefore, Chang and Eng grew up like ordinary children - in essence, they had no choice.

When the brothers were teenagers, British businessman Robert Hunter noticed them and invited Chang and Eng to perform in his circus, showing off their bodies and their abilities. It was a big risk, but Hunter turned out to be an honest man. The brothers toured the UK and US until they were 21, and became rich after their contract with Hunter ended.

Chang and Eng moved to the United States, took the surname Bunker, entered into a contract with the famous Phineas Barnum circus and bought a farm. On April 13, 1843, a double wedding took place: Chang and Eng married two sisters, Adelaide and Sarah Ann Aytes. From these marriages, Chang had 10 children, and Eng had 11.

The brothers lived on their farm in a circle loving family until his death in 1874: Chang fell ill with pneumonia and died, and Eng died a few hours later. They were 63 years old.

Rosa and Josefa Blazek

Sisters from Bohemia (now the Czech Republic) were born in 1878. It was not possible to separate the sisters, who were fused in the pelvic area. Rosa and Josepha's parents were so frightened by this that at first they decided simply not to feed their sisters so that they would die of hunger. It is unknown why they changed their minds, but Rosa and Josepha grew up. Since it was difficult for them to study with ordinary children, their parents preferred to teach their sisters music and, oddly enough, dancing. The sisters played the violin and harp and really knew how to dance, each with their own partner. They performed regularly and were generally successful. And then Rose fell in love.

Her chosen one was a German officer who almost caused a quarrel between Rosa and her sister. Rosa and Josepha had the same external genitalia between them, so at first there was no question of any intimate relationships. However, Josepha later relented and allowed her sister to reunite with her lover. And something happened that no one expected: Rose became pregnant. It was Rose, because each of the sisters had her own womb. The newborn was named Franz. It was an absolutely healthy baby, whom the sisters raised together, since both had milk. Moreover, legally, they were also both considered Franz’s mothers. The baby's father, unfortunately, died in the war.

Afterwards, Rosa and Josepha had affairs; once the sisters even wanted to get married, but they were not allowed to do so: by law, such a marriage would be considered bigamy. But in any case, the sisters managed to experience both love and the happiness of motherhood.

Rosa and Josepha died in 1922. Josepha fell ill with jaundice, and the doctors suggested separation to Rosa in order to save at least her. Rose refused. “If Josepha dies, I want to die too,” she said.

Millie and Christina McCoy

Fate has prepared cruel trials for the black sisters Millie and Christina: twins joined at the back and pelvis were born into a family of slaves in northern California. When they were 8 months old, the owner sold them along with their mother, but the new owner chose to immediately resell the twins to a circus of freaks. From where the girls were soon kidnapped. Only three years later they were discovered in England and returned to the USA.

Then their owner, apparently, decided that the conjoined twins themselves were not so interesting to the public, and began teaching the girls to sing. So Millie and Christina, who had no chance of either separation or freedom, got a chance to realize their talents. The girls sang really beautifully.

After the death of the owner, the slaves were inherited by his son Joseph, who came up with a new legend for the sisters: Millie and Christina became Millie-Christina, one girl with two heads, four arms and four legs. This is exactly how he imagined his charges. But that no longer mattered. Millie and Christina sang so beautifully that fans came not to look at their physical features, but to enjoy the voices of the sisters. The “two-headed nightingale,” as Millie and Christina were called, became extremely popular. Soon the girls began not only to sing, but also to play musical instruments and even dance.

And then civil war and the abolition of slavery, Millie and Christina not only gained freedom, but became very rich and respected ladies. Musical talent allowed them to earn a comfortable life. At the age of 58, the sisters retired from the stage and became Millie and Christina again. They returned to North Carolina, bought a house in Columbus and spent the rest of their days relaxing from their worries. They died at the age of 61.

Abigail and Brittany Hensel

Perhaps the most famous living Siamese twins are sisters Abigail and Brittany Hensel from the United States. This is the rarest case of surviving (and living full lives!) dicephalic twins: the sisters have two heads, one torso, two arms, two legs and three lungs between them. Each has its own heart and stomach, but the blood supply between them is common. The two spinal cords end in one pelvis, and they share all the organs below the waist. In fact, from the outside, dicephalians look like a person with two heads. And at the same time they manage to lead a full life.

Each of the sisters controls their half of the body, but Brittany and Abigail have learned to coordinate movements with such precision that they can run, swim, ride a bike and even drive a car (each has their own driver's license). The girls studied in a regular school and both dreamed of becoming doctors as children. Their parents strongly supported any hobbies of their sisters, and therefore Brittany and Abigail managed not to feel like outcasts: they never hid at home and tried not to react to the increased attention of strangers. As a result, girls live full lives: they have many friends and hobbies.

Moreover, the girls graduated from the university with a degree in mathematics teaching, and each received a license. They got a job, but they receive the same salary for both of them. “We immediately, of course, realized that we would have the same salary, because we were doing the work of one person,” says Abby.

By the way, Abigail and Brittany have their own Facebook page.

In ancient times, it was believed that the birth of Siamese twins heralded the end of the world. Therefore, they tried to get rid of them as soon as possible or sacrifice them to the gods. Later, enterprising people began to make money from them. They took the unfortunate people to fairs and staged freak shows. In this collection we have collected the most famous and unusual Siamese twins in history.

Siamese twins Chang and Eng were born in 1811 in Siam (now Thailand). Since then, people fused together in the womb began to be called “Siamese”. When the king of Siam was informed about the birth of so many unusual twins, connected to each other at chest level with a strip of fabric, he ordered the death of this “spawn of the devil,” as he considered them “harbingers of misfortune.” But the mother did not give her sons up to die. She rubbed their skin with special creams to give elasticity to the tissues connecting the twins. She ensured that Eng and Chang were able to not only stand face to face, but also change their position more or less freely. Later, the king changed his mind and allowed the Scottish merchant to take them to North America.

Where later they began working in the circus. People gladly paid to see the unusual brothers. In 1829, Chang and Eng decided to leave public life, took the American surname Bunker, bought a farm in North Carolina and began farming. Being 44 years old, they married English sisters Sarah Ann and Adelaide Yates. The brothers bought two houses and stayed with each sister for a week, living with one or the other. Chang had ten children, Eng had nine. All children were normal. The brothers died at the age of 63.

2. Zita and Gita Rezakhanov

Sisters Zita and Gita Rezakhanov, Siamese twins, were born on October 19, 1991 in Kyrgyzstan in the village of Zapadnoe. Their story became widely known in a number of Russian media after a successful operation was performed to separate the sisters in 2003 in Moscow at the Filatov Central Children's Clinical Hospital. Its peculiarity was that the Rezakhanovs were ishiopagus, just like the Krivoshlyapov sisters. This is a rather rare variety of Siamese twins - about 6% of their total number. They had three legs for two and a common pelvis that needed to be divided. The missing leg was replaced with a prosthesis. The girls spent 3 years in Moscow. Currently, Zita is experiencing serious health problems. Since 2012, she has been in hospital under constant medical supervision. The girl spent thirteen months in various clinics in Moscow, and has now returned to her homeland and is in a hospital in Bishkek. Zita is already completely blind in one eye and sees very poorly in the other eye, while Gita’s health is stable.

3. Masha and Dasha Krivoshlyapov

They were born on January 4, 1950 in Moscow. When the sisters were born, the nurse on the obstetric team fainted. The girls had two heads, one body, three legs, inside they had 2 hearts and three lungs. Their mother was informed that her children were stillborn. But the compassionate nurse decided to restore justice and showed the woman her children. The mother lost her mind and was admitted to a psychiatric clinic. The next time the sisters saw her was when they were 35 years old. The father of the Siamese twins, Mikhail Krivoshlyapov, who at the time of the birth of his daughters was Beria’s personal driver, under pressure from medical management, signed the death certificate of his daughters and disappeared from their lives forever. Even the girls' middle name was given to someone else - Ivanovna. The sisters had no one left except each other.

Physiologist Pyotr Anokhin studied them for 7 years at the Institute of Pediatrics of the USSR Academy of Medical Sciences. Then they were placed in the Central Research Institute of Traumatology and Orthopedics. There the girls were taught to move with the help of crutches and given a primary education. For 20 years, the sisters were “guinea pigs” for researchers. They were worn only for newspaper photographs. In total, the twins lived in Soviet institutions for the disabled for about 40 years, only moving to their own home in Moscow in 1989. Towards the end of their life, alcoholism began to increasingly affect their health. So, Maria and Daria suffered from cirrhosis of the liver and pulmonary edema. After years of battling alcohol addiction, Maria suffered cardiac arrest around midnight on April 13, 2003. In the morning, due to the living sister’s complaints about her health, the “sleeping” Maria and Daria were hospitalized, then the cause of Maria’s death was revealed - “acute heart attack.” But for Daria she remained fast asleep. Since the Krivoshlyapov sisters had a common circulatory system, 17 hours after Maria’s death, as a result of intoxication, Daria’s death also occurred.

4. Bijani Sisters

Ladan and Laleh Bijani were born on January 17, 1974 in Iran. This pair of Siamese twins had conjoined heads. The sisters argued constantly. For example, about careers - Ladan wanted to be a lawyer, and Lalekh wanted to be a journalist. But, one way or another, we were forced to seek compromises. The conjoined twins studied law at the University of Tehran and became lawyers. And more than anything they wanted to be separated. And in November 2002, after meeting with the Singaporean neurosurgeon Dr. Keith Goh, who managed to successfully separate the fused sisters Ganga and Yamuna Shrestha from Nepal, the Bijani sisters came to Singapore. Although doctors warned them that the operation would be associated with high risks, they still decided to have the operation. Their decision sparked discussions in the world press.

After seven months of extensive psychiatric examinations, they were operated on on July 6, 2003 at Raffles Hospital by a large international team of 28 surgeons and more than a hundred support staff. They all worked in shifts. A special chair was designed, since the sisters had to be in a sitting position. The risk was great, since their brains not only shared a common vein, but were also fused together. The operation ended on July 8, 2003. It was announced that the sisters were in critical condition, both had lost large volume blood due to complications that arose during the operation. Ladan died at 14.30 on the operating table, her sister Laleh died at 16.00.

5. The Hensel Sisters

Abigail and Brittany Hensel were born on March 7, 1990 in New Germany, Minnesota, USA. The Hensel sisters are conjoined twins who, while physically remaining one, live a completely normal, full life. They are dicephalic twins, having one torso, two arms, two legs and three lungs. Each has its own heart and stomach, but the blood supply between them is common. The two spinal cords end in one pelvis, and they share all the organs below the waist. Such twins are very rare. Only four pairs of surviving dicephalic twins are recorded in scientific archives. Each sister controls the arm and leg on her side, and each feels touch only on her side of the body. But they coordinate their movements so well that they can walk, run, ride a bike, drive a car and swim. They learned to sing and play the piano, with Abby playing the parts right hand, and her sister - with the left.

6. Hilton Sisters

Daisy and Violetta were born on February 5, 1908 in the English city of Brighton. The mother of the conjoined twins, Kate Skinner, was an unmarried barmaid. The sisters were fused at the hips and buttocks, and also had a common blood circulation and a fused pelvis. However, each had its own vital organs. Mary Hilton, their mother's boss, who helped with the birth, apparently saw the prospect of commercial gain in the girls. And so she actually bought them from her mother and took them under her care. Starting at the age of three, the Hilton sisters toured throughout Europe and then in America. Their guardians took all the money the sisters earned. First it was Mary Hilton, and after her death the business was continued by her daughter Edith and her husband Myer Myers. It was not until 1931 that their lawyer, Martin J. Arnold, helped the sisters free themselves from the Meyers' power: in January 1931, they finally received their freedom and $100,000 in compensation.

After this, the sisters left street shows and began participating in vaudeville acts called “The Hilton Sisters’ Revue.” And so that they could be distinguished from each other, Daisy dyed her hair blonde. And besides, both began to dress differently. Both had numerous affairs, but they all ended in very short marriages. In 1932, the film “Freaks” was released, in which the twins played themselves. And in 1951, they starred in Chained for Life, their own biopic. On January 4, 1969, after they did not show up for work or answer the phone, their boss called the police. Twins were found dead in their home, victims of the Hong Kong flu. According to the medical examiner, Daisy died first, Violetta died two or four days later.

7. Blazek Sisters

Siamese twins Rose and Josepha Blazek were born in 1878 in Bohemia. The girls were fused at the pelvis, each had lungs and a heart, but only one common stomach. When they were born, the parents turned to a local healer to give them advice on what to do with such unusual children. The healer advised leaving them without food or drink for 8 days, which the parents did. However, the forced hunger strike did not kill the girls and they strangely survived. Then the healer said that the little ones appeared out of nowhere to fulfill a certain mission. Namely: to provide your family with money. Already at the age of 1 year they were shown at local fairs. The sisters took everything they could from life. The girls became famous for their virtuoso playing of the violin and harp and their ability to dance - each with her own partner.

Their living together only got dark once. The reason was the romantic relationship of 28-year-old Rose with a German officer named Franz Dvorak. However, Rose, like most women, chose to temporarily sacrifice friendship for the sake of her lover - after all, she and her sister shared genitals - and gave birth to an absolutely healthy son, Franz. Rose dreamed of marrying her lover, but she succeeded only after a long trial, but even after that, until the end of his life, her husband was accused of bigamy. He died in 1917 at the front, serving in the Austrian army. Josephine was also engaged to a young man, but her chosen one died of appendicitis shortly before the wedding. In 1922, while on tour in Chicago, Josepha fell ill with jaundice. Doctors offered the sisters an operation to separate them in order to save at least Rose’s life. But she refused and said: “If Josepha dies, I want to die too.” Instead, Rose ate for two to maintain her sister's strength, and, seeing that Josepha was doomed, she wished to die with her. And so it happened: Rose survived her by only 15 minutes.

8. Galion Brothers

Ronnie and Donnie Galion - today the oldest living conjoined twins - were born in 1951 in Dayton, Ohio. And they remained in the hospital for two more years as doctors tried to find a way to separate them. But a safe way was never found and the parents decided to leave everything as it was. From the age of four, the Siamese twins began bringing money into the family, which they received for their performances in the circus. When the children tried to go to school, the teachers kicked them out because they were too distracting to the other students. And the twins went to Central and South America, where they performed magic tricks in circuses and entertained people.

At the age of 39, they ended their career in the arena and came back to the USA closer to their younger brother Jim. In 2010, due to a viral infection, their health deteriorated. Blood clots formed in the lungs and Jim invited them to move in with him. But his house was not suitable for the disabled. But the neighbors helped, who equipped the house with everything necessary for a comfortable life for the twins. This made life much easier for Ronnie and Donnie, so much so that their health improved. In addition, Jim and his wife really enjoy being with their brothers. They fish together, go to fairs and restaurants. Of course, many people pay attention to them and laugh at them, but there are also those who pay their restaurant bills and say kind words to them.

9. The Hogan Sisters

Krista and Tatiana Hogan were born in 2006 in Vancouver, Canada. They were healthy, had normal weight and the only thing that distinguished them from other pairs of twins was their fused heads. During numerous examinations it turned out that girls have mixed nervous system and, despite different pairs of eyes, overall vision. So, one of the sisters perceives information that she is not able to see, “using” at this very time the eyes of the other. This suggested that the Hogan sisters' brains were also interconnected.

The family signed a contract with National Geographic and the Discovery Channel to film a documentary. The mother and grandmother of the conjoined twins had already seen some scenes from the film and were pleasantly surprised by the “respectful, scientific approach", which was chosen by the director. That is why the family refused to participate in the popular reality show. They don't need fame, and a documentary about their lives could help other conjoined twins.

10. Sahu brothers

Siamese twins Shivanath and Shivram Sahu have caused quite a stir in India. Some residents of the village, which is located near the city of Raipur, even began to worship them, mistaking them for the incarnation of Buddha. When doctors said the 12-year-old brothers, born joined at the waist, could be separated, the family refused, saying they wanted to keep things as they were. The brothers have two legs and four arms. They can wash, dress and feed themselves. Twins share one stomach, but have independent lungs and hearts.

Thanks to training, Shivanath and Shivram learned to spend a minimum of effort on all basic daily procedures - shower, food, toilet. They are able to walk down the stairs of their home and even play with the neighbor's children. They especially love cricket. They are also good students and, to the pride of their caring father Raja Kumar, are considered among the best students in their school. He is very protective of his sons and says that he will not allow them to leave their home village. By the way, the brothers have five more sisters.

Periodically appearing reports of successful and not so successful operations to separate conjoined twins suggest that more of them are being born than before. Is this so and why are such children born at all? Is it possible to predict their appearance on early stages pregnancy?

The Thai Siamese twins Pantawan and Panwad Thienjai were lucky to be born at the beginning of the 21st century with the modern level of development of medicine. Although, of course, it’s probably wrong to talk about luck when the girls’ hearts and livers were fused together. However, 60 doctors managed to separate the sisters in a Bangkok medical center in 12 hours, and now this operation is considered the first successful case of separation of the heart and liver in world practice.

Previously, an attempt to separate the common heart and liver of two American sisters Emmy and Angela Lakeburg was made in the United States in 1993. Moreover, even before the operation it was known that one of the sisters would have to die. But after the end of the medical intervention, the surviving sister, 10 months later, becomes infected with pneumonia and dies right within the walls of the hospital.

But, despite the successes of Asian doctors, Americans still remain the leader in successful operations of conjoined twins. This is explained by the fact that such interventions began there back in the 60s of the last century, a lot of experience has been accumulated, and over the past 10 years, 250 operations have been performed in US clinics, which allowed either both or one of the twins to survive. In 2005, Egyptian boys Mohammed and Akhmet, who were born with a fused brain, were successfully operated there. The operation lasted more than a day. General statistics show that it is possible to save the lives of both or at least one Siamese twin during separation in 75% of cases.

Why "Siamese"?

Brothers and sisters, fused with different body parts, have probably always been born. The first mention of such an anomaly that occurred on the territory of Armenia dates back to 945. Probably the first documentary evidence of Siamese twins is kept in the Philadelphia Museum: a description of the so-called Bidden maidens. Sisters Mary and Eliza Chulkhurst were born in Bidden, Kent, England in 1100. They were joined at the hips and died at the age of 34.

And the first operation to separate conjoined twins was performed in 1689 by the German surgeon Koenig. But the twins Eng and Chang, born on May 11, 1811 in Siam (now Thailand), became truly famous in the world and gave their name to this natural phenomenon.

Miraculously, thanks to the fortitude of their mother, having avoided death in infancy when the King of Siam ordered the death of children bearing the “seal of the devil,” the brothers brought fame not only to themselves, but also to their country. Joined at the waist, Eng and Chang traveled the world and showed themselves to the public, which also brought them a lot of money.

Newspapers wrote about them, they were received by European royal courts, and in 1839, having completed their tour, they finally settled in the United States and took up farming. Things went well and soon both brothers married the Jans sisters, who, we note, were not Siamese. In total, the two couples produced twenty-one children. All the children turned out to be normal, except for Chang's two sons, who were born deaf and dumb.

There was a moment in their lives when the brothers visited the surgeon with a request to separate them. But the doctor refused, suggesting it would be better to cut off their heads right away. True, he advised them to immediately go on the operating table if one of the twins suddenly died, in order to save the life of the other. But in 1874, when Chang died suddenly in his sleep, there was no doctor nearby, and Eng outlived his brother by only three hours.

Where does trouble come from?

Today, scientists cannot answer the question of why Siamese twins are born in one case out of 10 million newborns.

Although they have a good idea of ​​how this happens. Typically, the egg, if the lives of two identical twins (those who then look the same) begin to develop in it, splits into two within two weeks after conception.

But if splitting does not occur on the 13th day, then it remains fused. Depending on whether earlier or later the egg decides not to split, the most different kinds fruit compounds.

Sometimes it happens that one of the twins develops only partially, and people are born with three or four arms or legs growing from different parts of the body. Perhaps the most unique variety of Siamese twins was the French nobleman Lazare John Baptista Colloredo, who lived in 1617. A brother grew from his stomach, facing Lazar.

The reasons for such incorrect divisions of the egg are not completely clear, but among the first doctors name: genetic failure, exposure environment, various toxic factors, side effects medications and even psychological aspects.

Can expectant mother find out in advance whether Siamese twins are developing in her womb? It would seem that with modern research methods this would not be difficult. But in practice everything turns out to be more complicated. Recently in Israel, where the level of development of medicine is beyond doubt, a scandal erupted. At Sheba Hospital in Tel Hashomer, an Orthodox Jewish couple gave birth to girls joined at the belly.

But the essence of the scandal was not the birth of conjoined twins, but the fact that the woman went through everything necessary tests, including ultrasound examinations, both two required by the rules, and several additional ones, in the period from 18 to 26 weeks of pregnancy. All the doctors unanimously stated that the pregnancy was going well, the twins were absolutely healthy.

On the other hand, if doctors manage to determine in time (usually with the help of ultrasound) that a woman is carrying conjoined twins, then modern medical technologies sometimes make it possible to separate them in the womb. True, this usually leads to the death of one of the brothers or sisters.

“It is not always possible to determine before birth whether a mother is carrying Siamese twins or just twins,” says the head of the gynecology department of the Endocrinology Center of the Russian Academy of Medical Sciences, Professor Elena Andreeva. “The accuracy of the diagnosis depends on exactly how the twins are fused (if in the abdominal area, then it is more difficult to see the pathology) , on the quality of the equipment on which the study is carried out and, of course, on the qualifications of the doctor. In addition, when and at what stage of pregnancy the study was carried out also plays a role. Optimal period to detect such a deviation from the 20th to the 30th week of pregnancy."