The Cairo bulletin. [volume] (Cairo, Ill.) 1872-1878, 1874-02-17
THE SIAMESE TWINS.

APPEARANCE OF THE BODIES
AFTER REM BAL MENT-M YSTERI
OF THE UMBILICAL CONNEC-
TON CHARACTERISTIC OF
THE CLASS OF MONSTERS To
WHICH CHANG AND ENG BE-
LONGED.
Philadelphia Correspondence Of tho New
York llerald.)
The exterior and interior cnses in which
the Samese twins have been enclosed
since their dc,th, with all the charcoal in
which they .were packed during their
freightage from the South to tho North,
have been entirely removed, and the
bodies now lie in their embalmed state
upon n large table in tho college of ply
sicians and surgeons. Across the face OF
each Of the twins thoro reposes large
sponge saturated with chemical LIQUIDS, of
which l am somewhat ignorant, but in
which earbolic acid seems to be the basis.
THE CosHECrISG LINK,
that peculiar band of flesh which, in Ifs
and death, unto tho two seemingly into
one inseperable union, was. until twelve
o'clock to-day, covered with q piece of
white drapery, while all tho other sections
Of the bodies, save the face, remained en-
tiroly naked. About the room stood bar
rels Of plaster Of Paris, along with the
idle tools Of those who had been p-cpar-
ing the casts. The body of Chang, who
was the frat TO expire, was
prevailed with n dark and unnatural blu
ish tint, the characteristics of the indi.
vidual being apparent in death ms thoy
were during life. The preservation of
Hng, however, was perfect, his face bus,
and limbs being perfectly natural, and
having undergone no shrinkage since his
demise. Not tho slightest odor, however,
proceeded hem either of tho bodies,
which proves coDclusivoly that the EN-.
bslmment bias been AS perfect a. human
science could render 1t. Upon n table
near by responded the
PLASTER or FAIRS CASTS,
rs far rs they were completed. The bod
les are not reproduced in plaster in toto,
but arc conformed to the original by sops-
rate and distinct parts. The frat cast was
made of the head and portion of tho
which, for tho sake Of clsssih-
cation, may DO irregularly denominatcd as
tho bust. The last touch Of the
artists knife has played its part,
and the reproduction of tho hosd
and shoulders is complete and per-
feet. The cast of the bodies, from the
arm pits down TO tho upper cxtremities of
the legs, was incomplete until IL O'clock
to-day, while there was no evidence in
Tho surroundings that the connecting
link had been cast at all. In the legs of
each, just above the knees, slight pune
lures appeared, which shows that NO small
amount Of the injecting fluid had been
dffiused. There was n syringe lying near
which seemed to indicate that the fluid
had boon injected at no remote date.
CHANG WAS sHRIvELED AND BLUE,
while Eng was as natural Ms at any period
during lifo. The sponges concealed tho
faces and the connecting link was voilod,
but other wise the corpses were exposed.
Upon raising the drapery covering tho
link q slight depression was noticed exactly
in the centre Of it which many persons
have assumed to be the common navel, MS
no other navel seems to DO apparenti but in
case this depression in the center of the
band were in reality common unbilicus,
IL would necessarily indicate peritonai
connection, which, If true, at once shows
conclusively that their separation during
life would have been impossible, and OF
course that the band containing the navel
must have also contained cerisin arteries
interlscing the twins, and containing vital
fluids Of life, This point at least seems TO
be firmly settled. viz; The link is not
mere gristle, but contains within it chan
nels, through which blood flowed
from one TO the other, other
wise the demise of one body, heavily
taxed and diseased, could not have caused
the death of another body comparatively
in perfect henlth, unless, perchance, the
latter expired from an extraordinary
mental shock upon Awaiting from sleep
and finding the other dead. Until noon
to-day no knife had been applied; nc
Photographic instruments were in the
room, and the cast Of the body proper
was very incomplete, hence the autops,
really cannot have been undertaken, bu
will probably be commenced tom orrow