Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1869-03-17
THE sIAMEsE TWINS.
Their Life ana the Tie that Btu.

The return To this country Q
the Siamese twins, thirty eigh
years after their first appearance,
here, has naturally excited a gooC
deal of interest and curiosity, boil
among men of science and the gen.
eral public. The rumor that pre-
coded them, to the effect that the
bond of their long union might
perhaps, be shortly severed, has
added much to this feeling, and has
given occasion to some very un-
necessary sensational writing upon
the subject. For this reason, and
also because some of the popular
notions about twins have been
even exaggerated with regard to
them, we think it desirable to place
before our readers a short account
of the facts of the case.
Chang and vr EnGQn Thy, fin , so
that they are not quite fifty-eight
years old. They are of short
stature, Eng, the taller Of the two,
being FIVE feet two and half inches
high, and Chang about an inch
shorter. They have had excellent
health throughout life, and possess
good muscular development. The
band that unites them sprang origi
nally from the lower portion of
each breast bone, and kept them
face to face but their efforts during
childhood to attain more conve-
nient position produced some bend
ing of the yielding structures con-
cerned, so that they can now stand
nearly, but not quite, shoulder to
shoulder, in which position they
usually cross their adjacent arms
behind each others backs. When
necessary, however, as at meals,
they can bring both arms forward
without inconvenience. The band
itself is about four inches in length.
1t is rather more than seven inches
in circumference in the center, and
more than three inches deep at its
junction with each body. 1t is I'M
fortunately too thick to be under
any circumstances translucent; and
all attempts TO see by means of the
lime or magnesium light the nature
of the contained structures have
ended in fixture. AS far as can
be estimated by the touch, the
band contains at its upper part the
cartilages of the two breast bones,
curved round and meeting at its
center, and united by a sort ofim-
perfect joint. To these cartilages
are added those of some adjacent
ribs, probably of the seventh and
eighth. At the lower part it is quite
certain that the general cavity Of
the abdomen of each brother enters
the band, but whether these cavities
communicate in the center, can not
be ascertained with certainty. The
nerves of each brother pass a little
beyond the middle Of the band, so
that touch is felt by both over a
central portion about an inch in
width but beyond that portion
only by the brother that is touched.
The blood-vessefs of each must in
like manner communicate, but
there is nothing like interchange of
blood between the two, and some
experiments have been made which
show that chemical agents intro
duced in one body have no appreci-
able effect upon the other. The
hearts of the two brothers are per-
fectly distinct, and even somewhat
unlike the pulses Of the two at the
time of our inspection were little
different in frequency and decidedly
so in character. On various Occa-
si0ns they have been extremely
different The respiration of the
twins is wholly Independent of
each other.
1t may, therefore, be said broadly
that there is no more intimate union
between Chang and Eng than such
as might be effected artifcially be-
tween any two persons. They are
in every respect two men, with the
of this connecting band. |
Their mental operations are entirely |
distinct, of which we can perhaps |
give no better illustration than by |
saying that when playing chess
against an adversary they consult |
one another about the next move.
Their original resemblance, the me-
cessities of their position, and the
fact that their experiences must
have been absolutely identical
throughout life, have combined to
bring them into an extraor-
binary degree of concord
in thought and action, but into no
greater degree than may be thus
perfectly accounted for. The very
question about their separation Of
itself declares their perfect separate
ness. 1t appears to have arisen
entirely from the conflicting claims
of their respective families, and to
be contemplated only as sacrifice
of the fraternal bond to the interest
of children. Most probably, how
ever, the idea will not be carried
into execution. The surgeons who
have as yet been consulted are de~
cidedly opposed to it, and think the
danger too great to be incurred for
the sake of the doubtful benefit
The connection between their re-
spective blood vessels is such that
they must necessarily have any
blood disease in common; and it is
probable that the last illness of
one, from physical as well as from
moral causes, would be the last ill
ness also of the other. The sepa-
ration would present no surgical
difficulty, and might be accomplish
ed at any time if the accidental i'll
ness or death of one brother should
require it. But putting accident
aside, and dealing with constitution
al causes, it is most probable that the
brothers, loving in their lives, in
death will not be divided.
1t has plainly been their study,
and has become their second nature,
to act in harmony with each other
in all things. They move as if by
one impulse, and without verba-
communication, and it is said, in
deed, that they rarely talk to each
other. But each would feel tn
others impulse to move before a
bystander could detect it. They