Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1874-01-22
THE SIAMESE TWINS.

The Siamese Twins, Eug and Chang, lately
residing in North Carolina, were afflicted with
illness in the year 1871. They were born at a
small village on the coast OF Siam, ln the year
1911. Their parents goa their living by fishing
and until 1929, when Eug and Chang were
brought to the United States, they made their
living by selling shclliish. Their mother bore
seventeen children. At one timo she gave
birth to three aud never less than two. But
uonc of these children were dctormed, The
Twins were united at the anterior part OF the
chest by prolongation of a kind of Heshy band
the size Of the hand. This band of flesh is
about two inches broad aud four inches thick.
The whole mass is tough and capable OF belug
considerably extended. One could whisper III
the car Of one of them without the other hear
ing; while volatile salts applied to the nostrils
of one had no effect CD the other; and while
pinchiDg the arm OF one excited no sensation
10 the other, still if you but stick pio in the
exact vertical centreofthis coneucting lux both
would finch from the hurt The Twins we've
seldom observed to converse with each other.
They played good game Of draughts, made
pretty much the same moves, aud at the same
time aud frequently played against each other.
After attracting vast amount OF attention
among the scientists and physologists, IN the
old world, they married two sisters, aud settled
plantation In addition they had at one period
ample funds invested through their agent in
New York. During the war they continued to
reside on their plantation and lived in the same
quiet and harmony as ever, until some few
wears afterwards, Or course, no one ever
thought Of drafting them aud their negroes pros.
lcrcd. Except when out OF temper from any
cause, it was apt to work itself oft III
striking the first one that came to hand, lIGm
which tho best escape was to keep out OF the
way. The brothers probably never would have
had any difficulty, but that their wives, though
sisters, turned away their hearts. and children
were the cause of this cstrangement. UP to
the period that each had five children all pros
pered well enough, but one ofthcm had Il sixth,
and this awcke envy and jjoalously to such a
degree that the twin sisters, not being bound
together like the twin brothers, would no longer
live under the same roof The brothers were
it seems, about ttty-four years of age, but one,
We believe, the slnaer aud teebler OF the two,
looked, it is said, ten years older than the 9TH
cr They could turn either back to back or
face to face, but that is as far as the remarkable
bond that united them permitted. ltisalmost
certain that should either die the other could
not survive even more than few minutes as
there is an artery as large as the temoral artery
that connects them. "A few years since they
corrcspondcd with some of the leading surgical
operators in London as to the possibility of
the umbilicus being cut, SO that in case of the
death of ono, the lie Of the other might be
saved. A, the request of the London surgeon
they visited that city, and many experiments
were tried to determine the safety of such an
operation. Among other things ligature was
tried firmly for few minutes around the con-
nection between them, 50 as to prevent the cir
culation of blood through the artery. But it
seemed as if each would expire if this were
persisted in. The smaller Of the two tainted
away and lost all consciousness, and there were
symptoms that the same effect would follow to
the other, but the process could not be contin-
ued long enough without eudangcring the life
of him who was the first to faint. Since the
breaking out of the rebellion the twins both
dressed in Confederate gray, and were both
members of the same church, having united
with swall Baptist church in their neightor-
hood of which they were considered very wor-
thy members, though born Siamese. I.
Herald.