The Monroe journal., 1922-03-31
FAMOUS SIAMESE TWINS
DIED ALMOST TOGETHER
Brother Would Not Permit Surgeons
to Separate Their Bodies and
Nothing Could Be Done

Chicago, March 30.-JOsefa and
Rosa Black, the "Siamese Twins.
died at a hospital here early this
morning. Jos sfa's death occurred
first and was followed in a few sec
onds by the death of her sister. Ply
s;eians had declared early in the night
that in the event of the death of one
Of the sisters the other would die
quickly as their brother, Frank Bazek,
had refused to permit an operation
which would sever their bodies.
The twins had been in the hospital
ten days. Josefa was i'll with yellow
jaundiee and that was followed by
pnuemonia. Shortly before her death
Rosa was afflicted with bronchitis.
Preparations had been made for
the seyering operation and the physi-
clans were ready to make every ef-
fcrt TO save the life of at least one
Of the women.
Hope of saving the life Of Josefa
was abandoned at midnight, accord
ing to DIR. B. II. Breakstone. chief Of
the surgical staff at the hospital
Il tried to get the consent of the
brother to operate TO save the life of
Rosa, but he refused TO give his per-
mission" added the physician.
DR.. Breakstone explained that a
delicate operation would have been
necessary. Before their death he had
expressed the opinion that the psy-
Geological affinity Of the twins was so
vital that if one should die the other
might succumb before the band Of
flesh and bone that joins them could
be severed.
Although the twins possed separate
respiratory and cardiac systems, DR..
Breakstone declared that they had
only one set of secondary digestive
and procreative organs. The opera
ton, he said, would have necessitated
the building of part of the digestive
and other essential organs to save the
life of one twin.
Rosa was once married, her name
being Rosa Black Dvorak. She is
survived by normal IL year old boy.
Her husband was captain in the
German army and was killed in action
in 1917. She was married Is years
ago. Josefa never married.
The little son, Franz, has been
at the bedside of his mother, who. un-
til within the last few hours was less
critically i'll than Jesefa.
The twins were the second off
spring of normal parentage in Gee
cho Slovakia forty-two years ago.
There were four other children. all
normal and all still living The father
is also said to be alive, his age being
s. years. The mother died year
ago al the age of sixty-fve years.
During tour of the world the
twins acquired considerable wealth
They died without making a will, al
though their attorney, ]. l.. Triska.
has been at the hospital several days
in the hope that they would be in
condition to dictate the document.
As the women grew weaker last
night physicians pleaded with the
brother to permit an operation, hos
pltal attendants state. He was the
only adult relative capable under the
Illinois law of giving his consent.
No" the brother was quoted as hav-
ing said. mo, not even if Rosa lives
for hours after Josefa's death. There
shall be no operation"
DR.. j. Otragovec, personal phvsi-
clan of the twins, appealed to the
brother without success. Their at
torney was asked to intervene, but he
declined TO assume responsibility.
Two hours past midnight DR.. Break
stone said there was no need of pro-
longing the argument with the
brother.
ut is useless" be said. "The con-
dition of each is now the same-the
condition that forecasts certain death.
an operation now would be no good"
Medical records recalled by physi-
clans who have been interested in the
case disclose a number of so-called
Siamese twins. The original Siamese
twins. Chang and Eng, lived to the
age OF 6i. They married sisters and
Chang had six children and Eng FIVE,
all of them normal. Eng died first
and a surgeon separated them. Chang
died soon after. They lived in North
Carolina, and have descendants in the
state.
Twins that have attracted world
wide fame include the Hindu sisters.
who were Joined face to face, the
connection being at the chest; the
Newport twins, somewhat similar to
the Hindu twins; the Orissa sisters,
Raddica and Doddica, Joined side to
side; the Biddenden maids connected
shoulder to shoulder with only two
arms; the Hungarian sisters, Helen
and Judith, joined back to back at
the lower segment of the spine and
the North Carolina sisters, Millie and