Nashville union and dispatch. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1866-1868, 1868-07-19
j. MYRTI.E CnRRAu

The following scientific investigation o
]. Myrtle Corban, the four legged Tennessee,
monstrosity, that was held on exhibition
in Nashville some weeks age we clip
from the pages Of the Richmsnd and Louis
vile Medical Journal, published at Louis
vile, for the month Of July: rT ffef--
NASHVILLE, TENN., June 16, is6S.-The
undersigned, in respose to the request of a
number OF physicians and the relatives and
friends OF the unfortunate subject Of this
Investigation, give the following testimony
The infant, j. Myrtle Corban, has four legs
and two distinct external female organs OF
generation, With two external openings OF
the urethTa and two external openings OF
the double rectum. The external genito-
urinary organs are as distinct as il they be-.
longed TO two separate human beings. The
fieces and urine are passed (most generally
simultaneously, particularly the urine, J
from both external urinary and intestinal
openings, situated respectively between the
LEFT and right pairs of legs. lssl % sl.-s
The head and trunk are those of living,
weil-deyeloped, healthy, active infant Of
about i've weeks, whilst the lower portion
Of the body is divided into the members of
two distinct individuals, near Che junction
of the spinal column with. the os saeY1nl.
As far as our examination could be prose.
cuted in the living child, we are led TO the
belief that the lower portion of the spinal
column is divided or cleft and that there
are t,OO peIvic arches supporting the four limbs,
which are situated upon the same plane.
3 Photographs of this infant have been
made by the advice and under the SUPER
vision of one of our number.
The reality in this case surpasses expee-
tation, and we are of the opinion that this
interesting lirtng mOHStrosity exceeds in lis
curious manifestation of the powers Of ma
tnre in abnormal productions, the eele-
brated ''Siamese Twins"
aeE JOSEPH JONES, MD,
Prof. of Phys. and Path U. of Nashville.
& ~, - PAUL F. EVE, MD,
Prof. Of Surgery, University of Nashville.
Further remarks by Professors Jones and Eve
for this Journal
Josephine Myrtle is the third offspring
Of w. Fl. and Nancy Corban, aged twenty.
five and lhirty-four, the wife being the
senior by nine years. They are 30 much
alike in appearance, having red hair, blue
eyes and very fair complexion, as to pro-
duce the impression of their being blood
kin, which, however, is not the case. Mrs.
Corban is from North Alabama, had borne
one child to former husband. the child
having dark coloring, and resembling
mostly the father, who had black hair and
eyes. Her three children are all girls; the
one already alluded to, now six years old,
another three, and this infant monstrOsity,
now to be more INFINITELY described, born
The 18th of May, 1868, in Lincoln county,
Tennessee, five weeks ago. a.haaa.s
Mr.. Corban is Georgian, served in the
Confederate army through the war, and was
severely wounded in the right arm and left
hand. The parents are in fair health,
though the mother is aRemic. She recol-
eets no fright or disturbance during her
last pregnancy. The presentation was for
Iunately the head, which accounts for the
preservation of the life Of the child. It
would be cfrions 10 speculate on the trou-
Die which might have been produced had
he feet or breach presented, while the re-
Iult, 10 all probability, would have proved
atal to the infant, and possibly to the
mother. Mrs. Corban says that there was
nothing peculiar in the labor or delivery
When three weeks old the child weighed
en- pounds. 1t now nurses healthily, is
thriving we'll, and We saw it urinate sim
between the tao pairs Of iaJia
u the tao udging, situated about six inches
part. From the crown of the head to the
tmbiicllS the child measures twelve inches,
md from this point TO the toes of the right
md left external feet, eleven inches. From
he ambitious up, all is natural and we'll
all below this, extraordinary and
An Inch below the navel is a
mark of an apparent failure for a second
me. There are four distinct pretty we'll
developed, lower e1tremities. They exist
n pairs on both sides of the medium line
Which resembles the cleft Of an ordinary
'air Of legs but here there are no marks
whatever of anus or genital organs, and
lpon pressure we discover no oS cOccygis or
derum. The outer legs Of both sides are
he most natural of the four, Though the
DOT of the right one is dubbed but are
widely separated by the two supernumerary
mes, which are less developed, except at
heir junction with the body, from which
hey taper to the feet and toes more diminu-
i've and which are turned inWards. One
Oe is bifid on the left extra inward ex-
remity. At birth these extra legs were
olded fiat upon the abdomen. We are led
0 believe that there are tpO saeri as nell as
no recti in fact that the pelvic organs are
louble. OF course a minute dissection
Tould alone expose the true condition of
hese parts.
Should this infant reach maturity and
be internal generative organs be double,
here is nothing to prevent conception on
9th sides. The first difficulty will, how
yer, be in her walking. The outer, or ex-
ernal legs, may be used for progression;
be inner or inturned ones, probably never.
These might be successfully ampulaIed at
be knee, or higher up. .-re..
One of us recollects of being in London,
D January, 1880, at an exhibition of the
Jiamese Twins, when Sir Ashley Cooper gave
n opinion adverse to an operation with
lew to separate them, but which has al
rays appeared to us feasible and without
nuch risk Of perii0nitis; an operation, too,
vhich shonld undoubtedly be performed in
ase of the death of one Of them, for no
1SulCdi tudu DcllSNbo III tuc vulgar TIL
ression that they must die simultaneously.
n the present case all surgical interference
!, of course, out Of the question, except
hat alluded to--remoyal of the extra legs,
Cases somewhat similar to the above have
ccurred and been described. Rokitansky
efers to two completely distinct bodies
onioined at their ossd sderu or c0ccyges, as
a the well-known Hungarian sisters,
Helena and Judith, born in l70l, who sur
lived their twenty-second year. ..-.
8 Godfrey So. Hilsire, alludes TO cases Of a
runk with two heads, some even Janus
Ike, having four upper and four lower ex-
49,.
The case, however, recalled most vivid |
7 by Josephine Myrtle, is that Of Rita
well-known in Europe, and &C
nrately described in this country years |
go by Prof Meigs. In this wonderful in
lance, there were two heads, two necks, |
Iur arms, bat only two legs; and was thus |
he reverse of our case. From the 1anbiii I
rs down, there was one Well-formed child, |
ut above this all the organs were double;
/ reality there existed two beings. The
'ctalm and bladder we're common to both,
at all else in the trunk was double and /
istinct. One would sleep while the other
lsyed, etc, for they had ti0o spinal HlaTTOUs,
70 brains, tao hearts, bat the last two oecu-
led a common peTicardiatm. Unfortunate
:, after surviving little over a year, one
ekened and died, when the other, then in