Daily Richmond Whig. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1828-1831, 1830-01-14
FOREIGN ARTICLES.
FTom Che Lo,llfon .S,r,

FOREIGN ARTICLES.
From the London Sun.
DsArH AND Dissection OF THE BicEpHALous Oh
Double HEADED GIRL.-The child with two heads,
which lately arrived at Paris from Sardinia, and was
the subject of much attention in the French cap
ital as the S'amese Boys are in London, is dead =
Fhus al' the hopes founded by modern physiology OH
the observation of the phenomena likely to result
from tins double organization, il lie had continued
longer, are n"w annlhatcd Rita, or the right side
OF the infant, had been i'll for three DAYS and her illness
did not appear IN any degree to Influence the health of
Christina the other side; SO that at the when
Rita had gwen the ghost, Christina was hanging at
the breast of her mother aud playing with her face
But suddenly she let 60, heaved sigh, and
died The father refused for a long time to suffer
che monster be dsseced but the solicitations Of
Geoffroy Saint-Haire, and the inunctions of the
police ovrrcare his repugnunce. and the bcephalc in
FAINT has been carried 10 the Theatre of Anatomy in
the Jardln du Roi, where 1t dssected on the
26th of November in the presence of the members of
Committee appointed by the Royal Academy of
Medicine, consisting of Messrs Ant, Dubois, Ser
res Iturd Caste, aud G. offrey ST. Hinirr to whom,
were added the Barons Culver and Portal and Doc
tors Dumer, Paul Dubois, Lisfranc and some other
physicans. The following are the most interesting
details Of this truly curious autopsy.
Upon inspecting the chest, the lungs were found in
hcalthful state, and Of pretty regular conf;,rma
hon. The right lobe of the lungs of Rita and the
lott one OF Christina were evidently cramped in their
dcveioPemen they were consequently more contract
Ell than their moiety, but trace of fusion was
observable in these organs
Tine percardum, or envelope of covering for the
heart, was single gu inclosed two hearts, so CLOSELY
connected and bound Together that during life the
perstaltlc motions must be simultaneous, and couse
quently confounded This explains why the st hos
cDpe transmitted but the sound of sinole orgn,
o. ci' cniaton, and shows why when life ceased in
hita, Christina was likewise obliged lose hers Tho
beating ofthe heart Of one locked or enchnined bv
the immoblity Of the others heart
The orga"s Of digestion were double as far a,
the caecum, which comprises the stomach where M.
formed, he INF eef ubora
mentary absorption takes place. From the cpcum.
as tar as the anus, there was but a SINGLE duct or
passage, and as the allmentary substances scarcely
contain any more nutrltive PRINCIPLES when they ar
rive at the c1cum, II follows from hence that with
respect to the organs Of digestion Rita and Christi,
M were IN condition where life became Impossible
20 them.
There We're two livers, but they united into one
The organ of the uterus was likewise double A
thousand circumstances of this complex organization
which were exceedingly well analysed by N. 0eof-
fIey de Saint Hilare render the study of this bice
phalous child of the highest interest 10 science
They would be too lengthy to be entered upon in
this place. besides, we shall have an opportunity of
returnngto this subject when the learned Professor
OF the Jafdn du koi shall have completed the i'm
portapt work he is preparing on this cas-.
The opening Of the body of Christina Rita has
not furnished any very precise idea of The nature of
the disease by which death was produced. slight
aonesion oil the Posteror part Of the pleura of the
right aide, with the emphysema of the lungs indica
led tho existence Of an inflammation of that mem
brane but neither intense extensive and not such
as could have produced imm ediate death Death
might rather, perhaps have been imputed to a consi
defabie accumulation of fecul-n matter in the rec
tum Nothing could have been more easy than tn
nave removed this accumulation, which has produced
such an unfortunate result. slpbt aDorinn,
would certainly have sufced; but mn medical ass.s
lance had been called and Christina Rita has died
for want of help, IN the mids, of Paris in a civ
wnero so many celebrated physicians would have
been happy to have lent their ance for nm object
IN ga n"
relatives seemed to have been ignorant Of tho fnci-
inr' Of procuring relief; embittered no doubt. bv
tho refusal they had experienced from the author-
ties, and prevented from making application bv IN,
distress in which that rcfsal had plunged tharn hn
r"Tnote CAUSES ~ the disease by which death ,vas
produced may doubtless he traced TO TIM dolicatc
constitution OF Rita and to exposure 10 the first colds
oil winter ~ apartments very imperfecilv hoated II
was with difficulty that Rita supported the 6ticn,
OF travelling while her sister seemed TO suffer mn
sIr OF inconvenience. In the towns v,herc ,hc,
were well received, and where they could STAY n
Tong tlH:, Rita recovered her henlth ,yi,I, .,,,,
ngrapldlty, 30 rapidly that ST HiInito says Lo
Das observed nothing equal TO it in an Isolated bc
ns' ana ascTibes to the support received from her
s'e nl Clrlstina, who being endowed with very
ROBUST organization had no doubt greatly con,r,bn
Tea 70 these sudden RESERVATIONS 'Thoiy SIM n, -
Ohs ned been very favorable 10 their bcnIt, Tbeey
seemed oven wei on their arrival IN Pnrs nItbonaI
e".a aPPeS.P1 10 DC iaIiguedi but here when The
severity 0l the season required the rro,,nst -
he rei'uyes, deceived IN their homes bv ,hc it,
ference Of the authorizes, were reduced to me-
OF I'VE inconsistent with tho which was necessn
ny tor the Preservation of their child "
80 u lakn1wn thai Ria only was unwell and ,l,.,
Chfistina, whose health good to the end ,ys
suddenly struck dead, at the moment when bc- 49,
T." expired Inc perfect health Of Christina i rho
bi rs surprising WIEN II consde ed that The or
c"inhia'ion or interruption which the do IL az
cfiOed was situated IN that purt of the in es,;ns
WINCH was common 10 the two sisters; In, !, 80,
Dc femenibefeds that an interruption which ruy bo