Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1888-07-27
Off With IT'S HEAD.
A Child Born with Two Heads Is Re.
Iieyed of One by a Remarkable
Surgical Operation.

Surgical Operation.
A New York special says: The
expression is often heard that ma
ture never makes any mistake
This confidence in the regularity of
nature is due undoubtedly to the
fact that natural laws are ever the
same, and under similar conditions
a cause will always be followed by
the same effect. Without detract.
ing from the reputation of nature,
it is fair to state, however, that
there are exceptions to this gener-
al rule, and exceptions so marked
that 1t seems that If nature must
have been working with both eyes
closed, and every spark of intelli.
gence at dull heat.
This occasional variance from the
settled order of things brought in.
to the house of the old Garrison
family at Troy, New York, one of
those peculiar skeletons, that are
said to be IN every well regulated
family, and which gave rise recent
ly to one of the remarkable opera
tions to be found in the records of
surgery. The Garrison family his.
tory goes back to the earliest set
Elements of this state, and the blue
blood of noble men and women
flows through its veins. The fami.
ly has always shown q worthy pub.
lie spirit, and has reached prom
inence in social, political and COM
m maroial affairs that has furnished
the basis of a pride that borders on
haughtiness. The Youngest daugh.
ter of John Garrison was married
several years ago to an English
man, whose name, for manifest rea.
sons, Is withheld. Her first chill
dren we're twins. They we're bright,
beautiful boys. Two years after.
wards she gave birth to another
child, and for the first time in the
history Of the Garrisons there was
something that it was thought wise
to conceal. The child was q mon
strosity. 1t had two well develop.
ed heads. One of the heads rested
in almost normal position on the
spine, and was perfect in every way
above the neck. The face was a
singularly refined and beautiful one
even for q child, and the complex
ION was of that exquisite white and
red tinge that is rarely seen. The
other head was joined at the side
of the neck almost at right angles,
and rested on the right shoulder in
what appeared to be a very uncom.
Portable position. The second head
was different in every way from
the one first described. The face
was repulslve, and color almost
as black as night. Tho features
were irregular and of the African
cast. The neck was long and thin,
and its color gradually became
lighter from the head down, and
where the attachment was made 1t
was nearly white. 1t was fully
Supplied with nerves, muscles,
blood vessels and fine tissue, but
the whole makeup was on an in
ferior scale, and the head was pos
sessed of a low grade of vitality,
due undoubtedly to the fact that
the arteries and respiratory tubes
we're very small. The spinal at
tachment was just above the shonl'
der, and was thought to be of the
ball and socket variety, from the
rotary movement that could be
given to the head.
The birth of this monster was a
terrible blow in this household, and
every precaution was taken to COW
er it up. This was not on account
of any suspicion as to the paternity
of the child, but was the ouigrowth
of family pride. Everybody was
pledged to secrecy, and while sad.
ness came into the home, no one
ever dreamed or lisped the cause.
In accordance with the unwritten
law of midwifery, the attending
physician would have been justified
in ending the career of the unfor-
tunate child at its birth. Justlfia-
BILE murder has often been commit
ted under like circumstances for
the good of all concerned. 1t was
suggested IN this case but found no
supporters in the family. 1t was
dreamed wiser 10 hide the identity
of the child, to furnish it with all
the luxuries that wealth could
bring, and to spare no pains to
make it as happy as it could posi-
bly, be under the circumstanees.-
Accordingly, it was provided with
a nurse, taken to rural retreat
and kept in seclusion.
The child steadily developed, but
its history for the three years fol-
lowing Its Incarceration into what
at best could only be q living Sc
pulcher, Is hidden By veil as i'm.
penetrable as that which obscures
O view OF the future. The case
was talked OF, as matter of course,
in medical circles, with the names
left ont, and this discussion finally
led to a proposition being made to
the family by the old physician
who had taken care OF its members