The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1874-03-06
The Siamese Twins.
Iron the Providence Journal. ]

The mystery that has surrounded the
existence of these monsters is at last
solved, and the question whether they
could have survived a separation, al
though perhaps not beyond the bounds
of dispute, is, we think, pretty clearly
established. We have refrained from
presenting our readers the daily tele-
graphic dispatches relating to the prog
ress of the case, because they presented
no positive information, and we PREFER
ed to wait for the official report of the
post n,Ortem examination, which is now
before us.
Casts and photographs were taken at
various steps in the proceedings, and
everything has been done that could
possibly elucidate the marvel, and rem
der the knowledge permanent. 1t is
probably, from this point of view, the
most remarkable examination ever made
in the annals of medical science.
The history OF these monsters is al
ready sufficiently familiar to all. We
will therefore not refer to it further
than to say that the band uniting them
extended from the lower portion of the
breast bone down toward the navel,
and was four inches long and eight
inches in circumference. Their names,
Chang and Eng, were respectively the
Siamese words for left and right.
Chang was considered to be the more
intellectual of the two, Eng the more
muscular.
The whole interest in the case, DUR
ing their lives, depended upon the ma
ture of this band, and the question
whether it might be safely divided has
at different times been answered differ
emily by surgeons of equal repute. They
were themselves always opposed to the
idea Of a separation, except in one in
stance, during their residence in North
Carolina, when, after more severe
quarrel than usual, they applied to
their physician, DR.. Hollingsworth, to
separate them, saying that they could
no longer live together. He, however,
dissuaded them, and their temper had
time to cool of. The examination has
shown, We think, that the attempt would
hardly have been successful. The band
was found to contain three folds of the
peritoneum, or lining membrane of the
abdominal cavity. Two passed from
Chang to Eng, the upper and the lower,
' huu Oue III Iue ulluule ITOm Ely u
Chang. The upper pouch, which was
the largest passing from Chang to Eng,
fairly entered the abdomen of Eng, al
though it was not continuous with it,
i. e., it's extremity, although closed, lay
in the abdomen of Eng. The middle
and lower pouches extended little be-
yond the middle line of the band. Be-
tween the large upper pouch and the
middle pouch from Eng to Chang, was
a connecting liver band" running
from the liver of the one to that of the
other. This was demonstrated by in
jecting a colored plaster solution into
the vessels of the liver of Chang, and
| finding the colored injection flowing
freely through the liver of Eng. In the
absence of any positive proof of the
substance of the liver in this band, Dr.
Allen preferred to designate it as the
tract of portal continuity"
We thus see that any attempt to sep
arate them would have involved cutting
through this band, having such intimate
relations with the liver of each.
With the publication of the report
the excitement in the popular mind vii
soon cease. Their lives certainly were
not lovely, and their death in some re
spects shocking to our human sensibili
ties.