Democratic enquirer. [volume] (M'arthur, Vinton County, Ohio) 1867-1873, 1869-07-14
THE SIAMESE TWINS
Surgical Examination by Sir James
simpson-Belieft that Their separa- =
ttOn Would bo Fatal TO Both,

| Surgical Examination by Sir James
simpson-Belicf that Their separe-
| ton Would bo Fatal TO Both.
| [From the London STAR
Sir James Simpson, the Professor OF
medicine and midwifery in the University
OF Fdinburg, has examined very minutely,
and from every point Of scientific interest,
these twins, and has delivered lecture to
the students of the university class 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 publishes in the British
Medical Journal, he gives first their history
and description. Chang and Eng,
or, as they now sign themselves,
Chang and Eng Bunker, are now So years
of age. They were two of several
children, the rest being naturally formed.
When infants they were attached face TO
face, but instructive efforts from the earliest
age have so far elongated tho 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 o half
inches, Chang an inch shorter. They use
the outer legs more than the inner. by
standing and these are the larger in cir
cumference. There is no inversion of the
position Of the heart and otler organs, as
Prof. Allen Thompson, of Glasgow has
shown to be the general law in relation to
united twins. Neither of the respirations
nor cirCulations Of the two brothers are
synchronous. Examined in Edinburg by
Dr. Aitken, when they were suffering from
influenza, thepulse Of one was "a beats to the
minute quicker than the other. Examined
this week in London by Sir Henry Thomp-
son and Mr.. Earnest Heart, there was less
difference, -four pulsations to the minute.
In their chemical as well as their organic
functions, they are shown by Sir James
Simpson to be two separate and distinct
individuals. They can walk, swim, and
run; they are keen sportsmen and good
shots; intelligent, well-informed, and GOOD
men ofbusiness, They are naturally much
accustomed to join in the same conversa-
ton, but can each easily carry on q con-
versation with two different individuals.
They sometimes read separately, each to
himself, more often one aloud TO the
other. Their minds, indeed are more
duel than their bodies; the latter are united
together, but the former are not. The band
ofunionis formed partly by the extension of
the cartiages of the breast-bone; it is four
inches and half long and eight inches
and half in circumference. When the
twins have suffered from blood diseases. as
small pox, measles, ague, they have been
affected simultaneously, Nevertheless
from experiments which Sir James Sinp-
son has made with drugs, he concludes
that the vascular connection between the
two brothers is comparatively very small.
On the question of the surgical separation
of the Siamese Twins, "Chang and Eng
say Sir Jas. Simpson, "have themselves
no desire to be divided from each other.
but some Of their relatives and families
have become anxious that they should be
separated, if it were possible to do So
The operation is certainly possible, and
would be attended with little, or indeed no
difficulty; but it would be so perilous in
its character that the twins would not, in
my opinion, be justified in submitting to
it, or any surgeon be justified in perform
ing it." He then enters into details to
justify this opinion. Chang and Eng are
married to two sisters, the daughters of an
American clergyman. Each brother
has nine children. The family of Eng
consists of six sons and three dauobo
ters; the family Of Chang CON
ests of three sons and six daughters. Their
first children were born within three or
four days Of each ether; the others at irreg.
ular intervals Chang's ninth child was
born three months ago.
Sir W. Ferguson has carefully examined
tho twins, and, we understand, ooncurs in
the general opinion of surgeons that any
surgical operation would be most likely at
tended with fatal consequences, not so
much on account Of any obstacle presented
by the structure of the uniting band of
flesh as the moral effect of disunion on the
trun lrn tlnnrn wv - - -