The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1878-11-09
A Baby and n Half.

A Baby and Half. d. q
QUITE a furOre, not only in medical
and surgical circles but even in the UNI
technical world, was created upon the
death of those monstroSities, the Siam
csc twins, about two years ago. The
sensation may be said to have centered
in this city, although the extraordinary
couple died in the far South. This
was caused by the fact that Prof. Will
lam H. Pancoast, the well known sur
geon and professor in the Jefferson
College here, was smart enough to see
the advantage to the medical schools of
this city which would follow upon hav-
ing the autopsy made before the Col
lege of Physicians in Philadelphia. He
and one or two other physicians OBJ
tanned possession of the bodies, brought
them here, examined them, and, as
consequence, quite learned set of
papers passed into the medical jour
nails of the day. Prof. Pancoast had
previously examined the Carolina
twins, and therefore by this time he
may be called "expertn in ''tera-
tology," as the science of this kind of
monstrosity is called. 1t therefore ac-
corded with the eternal fitness of things
for Prof. Pancoast (Wm. H. to send
away up to st. Benoit, Canada, and
fetch the latest anomalous births in the
human family before one of his clinics.
The st. Benoit twins arrived late on
Saturday from Canada, yia Boston, and
at once were taken by their mother and
father, escorted by DR.. j. V. Shoe
maker, of this city, to the surgical class
at the Philadel phia hospital. Here
Prof. Pancoast was operating in the
presence of some 500 students and
crowd of doctors, who had gotten wind
of the intended examination of the
twins.
Prof. Pancoast put the twin baby on
the table. 1t appeared to be two babies,
joined together at the base of the trunk,
with, however, but two legs, two heads,
twoseparate intelligences and four arms.
The professor made a few Introductory
remarks on teratology, and referred
briefly to the formation of the Siamese
and the Carolina twins. The parents
are French Canadians, speaking no
English, and the mother appeared
quite frightened by the large audience.
Prof. Pancoast, however, GAINED her
anxiety, and then he went on. He
called attention to the fact that though
the children were called a monstrosity
they were really two pretty female in
fants, united at the hips, and that there
was nothing repellant in their appear
ance. He took the ground that they
were two entireties, two separate brains
or intelligencies. The one on the left
of the observer, Rose, was hearty and
strong, while that on the right, Marie,
was not quite so robust. She was fret
full from teething, while Rose was
bright, smiling and happy.
Rose and Marie are the names of
this wonderfully ose-jointed pair of
sisters that can never know separation.
Rosemary would be the name for them
taken as one. A toy was handed Mary;
she smiled, took it and played with it.
Rose reached out her baby hand, got
the toy and also smiled and chuckled.
Prof. Pancoast then proceeded to show
that the children are separate down to
the edge of the ribs, with separate
heads, separate arms, two to each, and
separate hearts. At the breastbone the
bodies are fairly united, but the rest of
the organs are common to both. There
is but one navel and the hips are
united, terminating on each side with
a.well-formed leg, one for each of the
joined twins. Roses leg is very lit
tie fatter than the one belonging to
Marie, but both are of equal length and
perfectly formed. The professor con-
'tinued to explain to the highly inter-
ested class that, while the head, arms
and thorax, with its contents, were
separate, it was probable that the in
testinal canal was joined. In the science
of diplotheratology the. St. Benoit
twins would come under the first order
of terata caladidyma, which means a
subject with more or less separation of
the brain and spinal cord.
Having fully explained the peculiar
formation the lecturer said that he pos
sessed the skeleton of similar speci-
men, which he now has in the ana
tomical museum of Jefferson Medical
College. 1t is very complete and per-
feet. Another specimen, reported by
Prof Horner, is in the museum of the
Pennsylvania University, but that the
pair then before him were the only
ones that ever came into the world
alive and that their chances of living
are quite as good as those of children