Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1874-03-12
CHANG AND ENG.
Dissection Of she Bodies of'he Twins--IntcFest-
Ing DevetoDnsnt. Of the Iavesslg alton.

A telegram from Philadelphia says
"The examination of the remains o
Chang and Eng, which has been pro-
ceeding very quitely at the College o
Physicians, has been heretofore con-
lined to taking casts of the different
important and curious formations o.
various parts of the bodies, photo
graphing the remains, and daily injec
tions Of chloride of zinc to prevent the
bodies from decomposing. On Mon
day the long-looked for and anxiously
awaited autopsy commenced. The
scslpel was first used on the connect.
ing band between the two brothers
The abdominal cavities were entered
for the purpose of examining the WIS.,
cera. This investigation was attend
ed with most gratifying success, and
the physicians were rewarded in their
efforts by finding that the lungs, heart,
pancreas, liver, spleen and alimentary
canal were excellently developed in
each, and that all the parts above
named resemkled those of ordinary
mortals. -
Approaching the band, the lower
portion of the ensiforth carthage, of
the breast bone in each joins by doub,
ling or bending out making almost a
long union with distinct joint at the
central point of union on which the
bodies hinge so freely. This joint is
somewhat similar to, but not so CON-
plicated, as that at the elbow. The
band at the smaller part has q circum-
ference of nine inches, and when the
link was stretched, and the twins
were placed as far apart as possible
there was space of eight inches in
tervening. The skin of each body was
cut through posteriorly, and thrown
back from the band and adjacent struc.
tnre. exposing fatty tissues in the rec
tus muscle of each.
The great question of whether they
could have been separated in life was
settled in the negative by various abb
dominal sections which were made.
The peritoneum or membratious lining
of the belly in each was found to en-
ter the band and four pouches over
Tapped each other at the centre of the
band. The most marked feature here
was the presence of two such pouches
from the body of the large brother,
Chang, and the upper one shorter than
the lower, but each tapping, one from
above the other from below the single
pouch of Eng. An almost exact idea
of the arrangement of these culs de
sac may be obtained by holding the
first joint of the forefnger between the
thumb and forefnger of the other
hand.
The astounding and curious fact was
developed that line passage down
the centre of the band would sever all
three of their prolongstions, and open
the peritonital cavity of each liver. If
the knife had been used in life, death
would have therefore probably, if not
necessarily, resulted. The examina-
ton also showed that there was apor-
tai, or linear cir oulation through the
heart, as was seen from the passage of
the injecting matter use' in embalm-
ing.
The abdominal organs lie in close
contact with these pouches, but are
not continuous into them.
On Tuesday the most important in
vestigation took place by making deep
sections into the band with the view
of ascertsining the umbilical connec-
tons bearing on physiological NANTES.
tations in the fetal life of being.