Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1874-02-21
TME sIANEsE TWINS.
a Life My~tery sofxe.f
rHE orrIoIAL RsroRr ro rHn rHILAnrrr

TWINS being upon the table, the meeting pro-
Alien. The report OF the former was manly a.
70 surgical details OF importance 20 the profess
slon, but having little Interest for the general
'esuef' re sroke, however, a. follows OF their
PERSONAL PECULfARITIEs.
As Dr. HOllingsworth Is present 4, nav he
proper for me 70 mention a fact which that
~. can Sofroeorste, that Eng the
mentally. The same difference Was OhServahie
IN their characters. Chang was mere irritable
than Eng, especially since an attack OF naralxsis
with which he lad been afitcted- ms heins 80
ne SIDE next to Eng. The latter had not only
70 bear with the iftitsbility OF has associate but
a.so 70 sulrort one-halt his weight. Among
break useful articles, or throw them In the Ire
soNE QUESTIONS ANswEREn
III, fahc@AsI-Nhile the bodies are being
turned VIII take the opportunity OF replying
10 one or two questions which have been aslei
me. firSt, In regard 10 the common ~ens{hiiitS
of these lndiyidnsls. According TO the state
ments We received at Mount Airy there va =
line Of common sensibility corresponding 20 tho
median line OF the band. DIR. h0lings~orth
says that u pin WAS stuck into the band a.
the median line both Of the twins would feel it
distinctly; bat that, even AZ slight distance q
either side, the point Of a pin produced an effect
only on the twin OF that side
Another question has been asked me as q
whether either OF them wes ever put separately
under the influence OF an anPsthetic. I answer
u ry saying that 50 far ~ We know II never was
attemlted. but that when, upon the hual OccA-
d r.
was Tor time unaffected. The story, a. told
Al Mount Airy, was that Eng walked up and
asked has ron, . How L. your uncle Chang
nero Inc boy SAD L" Onele Chang IL cold. Uncle
Chang Is dead Then great excitement took
place. Ing commenced CRYING out Immediate
ly, saying 10 his wife, whom they called in. INV
lsst houi hSs come, and hually sank away. he
WAS IN perfect health when they went 10 bed.
They had been sitting up in large double
chair made for their accommodation. Eng we
smoking HE pipe until he became sleepy, and
finally said 20 Chang. "We must retire" Chang
said that he could not lie down comfortably.
l understand that when they went from Chang
house 70 Eng's house, where they died, IL was
against the direction of Dr. HOllngswOrth hut
with their usual stubbOruness, they persisted in
riding the distance in an open buggy. To re
turn 10 the narrative of the night Of their death
after Chang had refused 20 lie down, they
walked about the house Tor some time, and
even went out TO the porch and washed their
hands and drank some water. II WAS about
O'Clock when they went 20 bed. Then Chang
died some time between that and mon ning, his
death not producing any material impression
on Eng. IL was only when the latter woke M
and inquired about the condition OF ms brother
that he was AZ all affected.
AS 20 the question. "what caused Eng's
DEATH ! am not able 70 tell. The pos,morfsBi
which has been made does not show the cOndi-
ton Of has lungs. Probably the valves OF his
heart were in a disOrganized condition, and
probably also the shock upon that weakened
organ caused death.
THE CAUSE OF cHASG's pEArH.
DIR, Allen.-ln my opinion, Chang died OF
cerebral clOt. From inquiry az his home, I
was led TO believe that tie lung symptoms we're
not due to pneumonia; indeed, were not severe
enough 10 have been 80 caused. The sudden
ness Of the death, the general atheroma Of the
arteries, and the fact that there had been pre-
viOnsly an attack Of cerebral paralysis, all
Indicated that the death Was OF cerebral origin.
Ing probably died Of fright, a. the distended
bladder seem 10 point 10 a profound emotional
disturbance OF the nervous system, the mind
remaining clear until stupor came On-a stupor
Vi nah a.. lKr
TIE TWINS Two DISTINCT PERSONS.
Dr. Joseph HOllingswOrth, 20 whom We are
indebted tor the information given in this arti-
Gle a. 70 their habits Of life aud the circum-
stances Of their death, states that he has known
them ar residents IN the neigh bOrhOOd OF Mount
Airy, y. u, for some twenty years, during
winch time De has acted a. their family physi-
clan. Chang, who IL said 20 have derived his
name from the Siamese word tor cleft, /" was
the LETT OF the pair ano was much smaller ana
more feeble than his brother Eng, whose name
signifies right" Their habits were very &C
tive. During the latter part of their life they
and their families lived in two houses, about a
nile and half apart, and Il was an infieXible
rule that they should pass three days alter
nately at each house. So determined was this
alteration maintained that sickness and death
In ore family had no effect upOn the move
ments OF the father, and dying or dead child
was on one occasion lett in obedience 20 Il; in
deed, DIR. Hollingsvorth is very positive OF the
opinion that the death OF the twins themselves
wss the result Of this rule. or, at least was ma
apparent hereafter.
The evidences during life that the twins were
physlologically distinct entities were very nu-
merous and apparent. They we're different in
form, tastes aud dispositions; all their physical
functions were performed separately and un-
connectedly. What Chang liked 70 eat, Eng
detested. Ing was very good naturod; Chang
cross and irritable. The sickness OF one had
no effect upon the other; 80 that while one
would be suffering from fever the pulse OF the
other would beat at its natural rate. The twin
"a . ffslratH
never suffered At the sane time as the Other--a
which seems somewhat singular
IN view OF the close connection which the post
morteM has shown % exist between the liyers
OF the pair. Chang drank pretty heaviiy-At
times getting drunk; but Eng never felt any in
huence from the debauch OF his brother
conclusive proof that there was no
tree Interchange in their Calculations.
The twins often quarreled, and, of course
under the circumstances, their quRrrels were
bitter. They sometimes came TO blows, and on
one occasion came under the Jurisdiction OF the
courts. After one OF these difficulties Chang
and Eng applied TO DR.. HollingswOrth 20 sepa-
rate them, stating that they could not live
longer together. Eng affirmed that Chang was
90 bad that he could live no longer with him,
and Chang stated that he was satisfied 10 be
only asking that he be given an
equal chance with his brother, and that the
band be cut exactly IL the middle. But as DR..
advised very decidedly against
this, and declined 20 interfere, cooler cOansels
prevailed. In August, 1870, Chang suffered
lECll from WHICH ne never
fully recovered, and during the last year OF his
life he several times said 10 DIR. HollingswOrth:
''We can't live long"
DEATH.
On the Thursday evening preceding their
death, the time having arrived for their de-
paIture from the house at which thew were
staying, the twins rode a Bile and a half In an
open wagon. The weather was very cold, the
night being the severest OF the winter. Chang
had been complaining for some days of cough,
with distress and acute pain in the chest. He
was 30 unwell that his wife thought he would be
unable 10 bear the trip, but he finally went.
On Friday morning Chang reported that he felt
better, but that in the night be had had such
pain in the chest, and 20 much distress, that he
thought he should have died.
The twins slept in room by themselves or
with only very young child present; aud some
time in the course OF Friday night they got up
and sat by the tire. As they were accustomed
10 90 this frequently nothing was thought OF IL
by those of the family who saw them, even
though they heard Eng saying he was sleepy,
and wanted 20 retire, and Chang insisting ON
remaining up, stating that his breathing was 80
bad that IL would Kill him TO lie down. Finally,
however, the couple went 20 bed again, and at
ter an hour or 30 the family heard some one call.
No one went 20 the twins for some little time,
ard when they did go Chang was dead and Eng
WAS awake. He told his wife that he WAS very
.sbad OF, !" and could not live. He complained
Of agoniZing pain and distress, especially In his