Nebraska advertiser. [volume] (Brownville, Nemaha County, N.T. [Neb.]) 1856-1882, 1869-04-01
The Sianlese Twins,

Sir James Simpson, the professor
of Midwifery in the University of
Edinburgh, has examined very min
utely, and from every point Of sCientif-
ic interest, these twins, and has de-
livered lecture to the students Of the
University Glass on these and other
recorded cases of united twins, of
whom they are. in many respects the
most remarkable on record. In this
lecture which he published in the
British Medical Journal, he gives first
their history and description. Chang
and Eng, or as they~sign themselves
Chang and Eng Bunkel, are now fifty
eight years of age. They were two of
several children the rest being natur-
ally formed. When infants they were
face to face, but instructive efforts
from the earliest age have so far elon-
gated the band as to enable them to
adopt an imperfect lateral relation to
each other. They are short but wiry
looking men; Eng, the taller of the
two, being only five feet two and half
inshes-Chang an inch shorter. They
use the outer legs more than the inner,
by standing, and these are the larger
in circumference. There is no inver-
sion of position of the heart and 9TH
er organs, as Professor Allen ThOmp-
son, of Glasgow, has shown to be the
general law in relation to united twins.
Neither of the respirations nor circu-
lations of the two brothers are synch-
OnOus. Examined in Edinburgh by
DR.. Aitkeu, when they were suffering
from influenza, the pulse of one was
twenty-fOur beats to the minute quick
er than the other. Examined this
week in London by Sir Henry ThOm-
son and Mr.. Ernest Hart, there was
less difference by four pulsatiOns in a
minute. In their chemical as well as
their organic functions, they are shown
by Sir James Simpson to be two sepa-
rate and distict individuals. They can
walk, swim and run they are keen
spOrtsmen and good shots, intelligent,
we'll informed and good men of busi-
ness. They are naturally much accus-
toned to join in the same COnversa-
ton, but can easily carry on CONVEX
sation with two different individuals.
They sometimes read separately each
to himself; more often one aloud to
the other. Their minds, indeed are
more dual than their bodies the lat
ter are united together, but the for
mer are not. The bond of union is
formed partly by the extension of the
cartilages of the breast bone; tits four
inches and half long, and eight inch
es and a halfin circumference. When
the twins have suffered from blood
diseases, as smallpox, measles, ague,
they have been affected simultaneous
ly. Nevertheless, from experiments
which Sir James Simpson has made
with drugs, he concludes that the vas
cular connection between the two
brothers is comparatively very small.
On the question of the surgical sepa-
ration of the Siamese Twins, "Chang
and Eng" says Sir James Simpson,
'have themselves no desire to be sur
gically divided from each other. But
some of their relatives and families
have become anxious that they shO'd
be separated, if it were possible to do
so. The operation is certainly pOssi-
bic, and would beattended with little
or indeed no difficulty; but it would
be so perilous in its character that the
twins could not, in my opinion, be
justified in submitting to it, or any
surgeon justified in performing it."
He then enters into details to Justify
GAllS OpAAklOHss tNAAduB blAU 411A6 .3AS
married to two sisters, the daughters
of an American clergyman. Each
brother has nine children. The fam
lily of Eng consists of six sons and
three daughters; the family of Chang
consists of three sons and six daught-
ers. Theirg first children were born
within three or four days Of each 9TH
er; the others at irregular intervals.
Changes youngest child was born three
months ago. Sir w. Ferguson has
carefully examined the twins, and,
we understand; tOhcurs in the general
opinion Of surgeons that any surgical
| operation would be most likely atten-
ded with fatal consequences, not so
much on account of any obstacle pre-
sehted by the structure of the uniting
band of flesh as the moral effect of the
disuniOn on the two brothers:
A woman lately looking at a press,
on which the San FraTi cisco Free Press
was being printed, looked up in the
face of her male companion andin the