The western Democrat. [volume] (Charlotte, N.C.) 1852-1870, 1868-12-22
The Siamese Twins.

The London Lancet, a good medical authority,
discusses the question of the separation of the
Slamese twins. 1t says:
ARTICLES have been appearing of late about
the above persons and their visit to Paris, with
the object, has been asserted, of securing the
surgical skill of NJ Nelaton in making an arti-
Lsal separation of that bond by which nature has
joined them together in way which no divorce
court can overcome. The subject was good
one on which to hang little sensational writing;
and the mysterious nature of the union Of Messrs.
Chang and Etig, the Siamcse i'll question,
well as the intensely interesting nature of the
operation, have been dwelt upon. We gather.
however, from short and interesting article by
DIR. Eve, the late Professor of Surgery in the
University of Nashville, in the number of the
Richmond and Nashville Medical Journal for
this month, that the twins have probably no in
tentlon of the kind, and that all the accounts
about the physical moral and mental unity be-
tween them are Incorrect the twins are two be-
ings, possessing as separate and complete organi-
| cations as any ether two individuals, the only
connection being short cartilagnous and in
tegumcntal band common to both, the severance
of which would, in all probability, be perfectly
! harmless
1T has never been the opinion among medical
men in America or Europe that the death of ono
! OF the DfOtnerS Wuuiu NC INSTANTLY toHONcu Dy
that Of the other, or that their separation was
surrounded by any fearful difficulty. or that the
link between them is means of perfect physical
union by which sensations or impressions are
conveyed from one to the other. So far from
it, the band il almost inseDsiblc and on ship
board they were pulled about by rope tied to
it. DR. Eve tells us that no pulsating vessel has
ever been detected in it, though undoubtedly,
it is just in the centre of this cord, made of
gristle and SIX in, and for about an inch on either
side, that there vessels and nerves communi-
eating from one TO the other Here, but no.
where else. touch on the space indicated is felt
by both. Precisely here, and here alone in the
band uniting them, there is sensation, and moth
ing else whatever common TO both. The de-
cision of the profession thirty-cight years ago,
when this case was first exhibited, was that the
ligament was cartilaginous, probably prolonga-
tion Of the ensiform cartilage Of the stcrpum;
and the chief. if not the only objection to its
division has been that the peritoneum might be
involved in the operation. The question OF
separation was with themselves or their guar
dians, and not with the profession. In 1880 we
declared that the case was more rare than curl
Gus. If one of them died it would certainly be
the duty of scme to make the attempt,
taking care to divide the parts nearer the one
deceased"
NEW CoUNTIEs-One Of the present evils in
the South is the rage for new counties. II ID
proposed to manufacture number Of them in
this State. The object of this is plain. II is
| simply for the purpose of increasing the number
| of Office holders. For example, Squire Jones,
who lives in the county of Mammoth, wants to
be Superior Court Clerk, and as Corporal Smith
has that position in his county, Squire Jones
suddenly conceives the idea that the county Of
Mammoth is entirely too large-plenty big for
two counties So Squire Jones Immediately
begins to agtate the question. He shows Mug
gins what nice thing it will be for Muggiassts
become sheriff, which fully convinces Muggins
that the county of Mammoth is twice as large as
Texas and must be divided But Squire Jones
doesn't stop here. He finds FIVE men who wan.
| to be County Commissioners; and they, too, cop
clude that Dething will be so conducive to the
interests of the people as the division of the
county of Mammoth. Thus the circle gradually
enlarges until we End enough ofice-seekers to get
up petition to the Legislature = Wamiagtas
! Star