New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1870-10-28
THE DOUBLE BABY.
Details of the Wonderful Freak of Nature
in

in Ohio.
FDelayare (Ohio) Correspondence Of the Cincinnati
COlnmercial.I
Our community is much excited over a
freak of nature, in the production OF a
double baby. The Siamese Twins are com
pletely oyershadowed by this infant wonder.
There is living in Peru township. Morrow
county, family named Finley. Up TO last
"Wednesday morning it consisted OF Mr..
Joseph Finley his wife Mary. and two chill
dren, little girls, aged three and five years.
On that morning Mrs. Finley was confined,
and gave birth to twins, joined together in
a manner unknown to the books. W hen
the gossips brought the news OF the event
to our city, and gave descriptions OF the
child. or pather children, it was laughed at
by the professional, and pronounced good
hoax.
A gentleman living in the vicinity Of the
Finley home called on one OF Our physicians
and assured him that there was no ex-
aggeration in the description, as he had
seen the wonder. Convinced that there
was something in the case. party of
gentlemen, consisting of Drs. j. a Little
and r. B. Williams, W. o. Seamens, Pro
fessor of Natural History aud Chemistry III
the Ohio Wesleyan University, and ). Is.
Donavin. ON the sixteenth instant, visited
the family. Before reaching the Finley
farm the party called on Dr.. 4. L. West
brock. of Ashley, who had been called to
attend the mother, and learned from him
that the half had not been told. DR.. West
brook accompanied the party. An hour :
drive brought them to the place.
On going to the gate leading to the yard,
written notice was discovered announcing
that visitors would not be admitted. This
did not deter the party. They Immediately
,entered the yard. and on reaching the front
door of the dwelling, they were met BY Mr.
Finley 1.-THE father and q gentleman who
appeared to be acting as his id-de-camp
who informed the party that they could be
admitted to see the show on the payment OF
twenty-five cents each The professor
promptly forked over, and the party stepped
in. In a few minutes the nurse made her
appearance with the wonder. A double
child was exhibited. Two perfectly formed
heads, one on either end OF the spinal
column.
To give clear idea Of it, Just suppose
that you sever the bodies OF two men at the
lower part of the abdomen, and then put
!. the two upper parts together, and You have
the trunk of this child. At the instance of
Drs. Williams and Little the clothing was
taken from it and critical examination
was made, so far as could be without doing
injury From the occiput Of one child TO
the occiput of the other there is continu-
GUS spine in a direct line. Upon one side
and directly in the centre of the trunk
and feet. They are in nice proportion to
the body of either child.
On the opposite side there is one large,
imperfectly formed leg, presenting the APP
pearance of the consolidation OF two legs
There are eight toes en- this limb, two OF
which have the appearance OF great toes,
being much larger than the others. Each
has a well formed head, good features, good
chest. good arms and hands, lungs, heart,
liver and stomach. Between the perfectly
formed limbs, and properly situated, are the
anus and sexual organs IN common Inc
lower portion OF the bowels, the bladder and
perhaps the kidneys are in common. All the
other organs are separate.
There was but one umbilical cord and one
placenta. The length Of the body is twenty
inches, and the umbilicus is central in the
abdomen and equi-distant from each head.
1t nurses well at both ends, and when first
exhibited to the party one child was asleep
and the other was crying. While the ply
sicians We're making their examinations
both cried, but few minutes after, the one
which was crying went to sleep, While the
The other remained awake. When either
head would cry the perfect leg which was
nearest to that head kicked and drew up,
while the leg nearest the other head re-
ssmaihed quiet. When either cried the toes
on the imperfect leg would move, but the
limb remained stationary. Both heads nurse
well, anu lIS cnllu, VI IdtHtT cDiluFeI, are
in excellent health. The physicians could
see no reason why it, or they, should not
live. TAe mother is doing well. There was
no physician present at the birth, and the
labor pains lasted only fifteen minutes
Mr.. Finley is alive to the importance and
value of this addition to his family. He is
now charging gate money and he informed
the writer that he HAD already entered into
an article Of agreement with a gentleman
for the sale of the body if it should die.
Price fixed is $4,000. Negotiations are in
progress for its exhibition if it lives. He is
convinced that there is money in it, dead or
alive, but thinks, there is most in the latter
condition. He says that he is conscious of
the fact that he lis an unframed man, but
has sense enough not to be fooled out of it.
1t is certainly one of the most extraor-
binary freaks, if not the most so, which has
ever occurred, and will certainly attract
great attention from the medical profession
at least. Drs. Williams and Little are well
known to the brothers Drs. Davis and many
other physicians of your city.