Separated Siamese twins fused heads. True stories of Siamese twins (16 photos). Hello from Siam

Two-year-old brothers Mei and Singh are from India, they are Siamese twins born with fused heads. For two years, their parents tried to ensure that the kids were still separated, but officials only now finally heard the desperate spouses. All this time the brothers experienced terrible torment. The family lives in poverty, so they have no money for paid assistance.

Pushpanjali Kanhar, 25, was shocked when she gave birth to two boys with fused heads. She didn't know there were any complications until she saw that her sons, Honey and Singh, were born like this. Scans quickly confirmed that they each had a brain and were only connected at the tip of their heads. But after two desperate attempts to find an affordable doctor to help the little ones, the couple failed and were forced to take the kids home.

Now, two years after the boys were born, the government of Orissa has confirmed that it will help. And the family should meet with doctors at a hospital in New Delhi, India's capital, for further consultations.

There have been cases of successful surgery in which children survived. But if the brains were connected, it would be much more difficult to work. This case needs further evaluation, and then we can confirm whether the operation is possible or not, the doctors say.

The family has been patiently waiting for government help and now they are looking forward to new doctors. Bhuan Kanhar's father, who works as a Rs 1,600 a month (£20) farmer, tried to get treatment for his boys after they were born but was unable to pay the medical expenses.

After my sons were born, I tried to get treatment. But my financial condition meant that I could not afford such expenses. In the end, I lost all hope and had to watch my sons live like this for two years, says the father of the twins.

The couple, who have two other sons, nine-year-old Ajit and six-year-old Dahiya, both healthy, dream of seeing all four of their sons playing together.

I want Mer and Singh to be like their older brothers. I want them to go to school and live separately. I wish they had a better life than this. They can barely speak, but I know they can do a lot. They understand the situation they are in, they see other children, they want a better life. I often dream that the operation has already been done, and they come home, alive, healthy and alone, - says Bhuan.

Separation of boys can cause complications for either one of the brothers or for both twins. If the operation is still possible, it will be difficult. The risks depend on where the heads connect and how fused they are.

Conjoined twins are three times more female than male and are most often born in Africa and India.
Head-fused twins are extremely rare, occurring once in every 2.5 million births. There is an 80% risk that such children will die before the age of two if they are not separated.

In ancient times, it was believed that the birth Siamese twins portends the end of the world. Therefore, they tried to get rid of them as soon as possible or to sacrifice them to the gods. Later, enterprising people began to earn money from them. They took the unfortunate to fairs and put on freak shows. In this compilation, we have collected the most famous and unusual Siamese twins in history.

Siamese twins Chang and Eng were born in 1811 in Siam (now Thailand). Since then, people who have grown together in the womb have been called "Siamese". When the king of Siam was informed about the birth of so many unusual twins, connected to each other at chest level with a strip of cloth, he ordered to kill this “spawn of the devil”, as he considered them “harbingers of misfortune”. But the mother did not give her sons to perish. She rubbed their skin special creams to give elasticity to the tissues that connect the twins. She ensured that Eng and Chang could not only stand face to face, but also change their position more or less freely. The king later changed his mind and allowed a Scottish merchant to take them to North America.

Where later they began to work in the circus. People gladly paid to see unusual brothers. In 1829, Chang and Eng decided to leave public life, took the American surname Bunker, bought a farm in North Carolina and started agriculture. Being 44 years old, they married English sisters - Sarah Ann and Adelaide Yates. The brothers bought two houses and stayed with each sister for a week, living with one or the other. Chang had ten children, Eng had nine. All children were normal. The brothers died at the age of 63.

2. Zita and Gita Rezakhanov

Sisters Zita and Gita Rezakhanov Siamese twins were born on October 19, 1991 in Kyrgyzstan in the village of Zapadnoye. Their story became widely known in a number of Russian media after a successful operation to separate the sisters was performed in 2003 in Moscow at the Filatov Central Children's Clinical Hospital. Its peculiarity was that the Rezakhanovs were ischiopagi, just like the Krivoshlyapov sisters. This is a rather rare variety of Siamese twins - about 6% of them total number. They had three legs for two and a common pelvis that needed to be divided. The missing leg was replaced with a prosthesis. The girls spent 3 years in Moscow. Zita is currently experiencing serious problems with health. Since 2012, she has been in the hospital under the constant supervision of doctors. The girl spent thirteen months in various clinics in Moscow, and has now returned to her homeland and is in a hospital in Bishkek. Zita is already completely blind in one eye, she sees very poorly in the other eye, while Gita's health condition is stable.

3. Masha and Dasha Krivoshlyapov

They were born on January 4, 1950 in Moscow. When the sisters were born, the nurse of the obstetric team fainted. The girls had two heads, one body, three legs, inside they had 2 hearts and three lungs. Their mother was informed that her children were stillborn. But the compassionate nurse decided to restore justice and showed the woman her children. Her mother lost her mind, she was placed in a psychiatric clinic. The next time the sisters saw her when they were 35 years old. The father of the Siamese twins, Mikhail Krivoshlyapov, who at the time of the birth of his daughters was Beria's personal driver, under pressure medical guide signed the death certificate of his daughters and disappeared from their lives forever. Even the patronymic of the girls was given someone else's - Ivanovna. Apart from each other, the sisters had no one left.

For 7 years, the physiologist Pyotr Anokhin studied them at the Institute of Pediatrics of the USSR Academy of Medical Sciences. Then they were placed in the Central Research Institute of Traumatology and Orthopedics. There, the girls were taught to move around with crutches and given primary education. For 20 years, the sisters were "guinea pigs" for researchers. They were only worn for newspaper photos. In total, the twins lived in Soviet institutions for the disabled for about 40 years, only in 1989 they moved to their own house in Moscow. Toward the end of their life path, everything stronger start affect the health of alcoholism. So, Maria and Daria suffered from cirrhosis of the liver and pulmonary edema. After years of fighting against alcohol addiction, Maria went into cardiac arrest around midnight on April 13, 2003. In the morning, because of the living sister's complaints about her well-being, the "sleeping" Maria and Daria were hospitalized, then the cause of Maria's death was revealed - "acute heart attack". But for Darya, she remained fast asleep. Since the Krivoshlyapov sisters had a common circulatory system, 17 hours after Maria's death, as a result of intoxication, Daria also died.

4. Bijani Sisters

Ladan and Lale Bijani were born on January 17, 1974 in Iran. This pair of Siamese twins had fused heads. The sisters were constantly arguing. For example, about a career - Ladan wanted to be a lawyer, and Laleh wanted to be a journalist. But, one way or another, they were forced to look for compromises. The Siamese twins studied law at the University of Tehran and became lawyers. And more than anything, they wanted to separate. And in November 2002, after meeting with the Singaporean neurosurgeon Dr. Keith Goh, who managed to successfully separate the sisters Ganga and Yamuna Shrestha from Nepal, who had grown together heads, the Bijani sisters come to Singapore. Although the doctors warned them that the operation would be associated with a high risk, they still decided to operate. Their decision caused discussions in the world press.

After seven months of extensive psychiatric examinations, they were operated on July 6, 2003 at Raffles Hospital by a large international team of 28 surgeons and over a hundred support staff. They all worked in shifts. Was designed special chair because the sisters had to be in a sitting position. The risk was great, since their brains not only had a common vein, but also fused together. The operation ended on July 8, 2003. It was announced that the sisters were in a critical condition, both having lost a large amount of blood due to complications that arose during the operation. Ladan died at 2:30 pm on the operating table, her sister Laleh died at 4:00 pm.

5. Sisters Hensel

Abigail and Brittany Hensel were born on March 7, 1990 in New Germany, Minnesota, USA. The Hensel sisters are conjoined twins who, physically remaining one, live a completely normal full life. They are dicephalic twins with one torso, two arms, two legs and three lungs. Each has its own heart and stomach, but the blood supply between them is common. The two spinal cords end in one pelvis, and they have all the organs below the waist in common. Such twins are very rare. Only four pairs of surviving dicephalic twins have been recorded in the scientific archives. Each sister controls the arm and leg on her side, and each feels touched only on her side of the body. But they coordinate their movements so well that they can walk, run, ride a bike, drive a car and swim. They learned to sing and play the piano, with Abby playing right-handed and her sister left-handed.

6 The Hilton Sisters

Daisy and Violetta were born on February 5, 1908 in the English city of Brighton. The mother of the Siamese twins, Kate Skinner, was an unmarried barmaid. The sisters were fused in the hips and buttocks, and also had a common blood circulation and a fused pelvis. However, each had its own vital organs. Mary Hilton, their mother's boss, who assisted in childbirth, apparently saw in the girls the prospect of commercial gain. And so I actually bought them from my mother and took them under my wing. Beginning with three years of age the Hilton sisters toured throughout Europe, and then in America. Their guardians took all the money that the sisters earned. At first it was Mary Hilton, and after her death, her daughter Edith and her husband Mayer Myers continued the business. It wasn't until 1931 that their lawyer Martin J. Arnold helped the sisters free themselves from the Meyers' grip: in January 1931, they finally received their freedom and $100,000 in compensation.

After that, the sisters left street shows and began to participate in vaudeville under the name "The Hilton Sisters' Revue". And so that they could be distinguished from each other, Daisy dyed her hair blond. And besides, both began to dress differently. Both had numerous novels, but they all ended very short marriages. In 1932, the film Freaks was released, in which the twins play themselves. And in 1951, they starred in Chained for Life, their own biopic. On January 4, 1969, after they didn't show up for work or answer the phone, their boss called the police. The twins were found dead in their home, victims of the Hong Kong flu. According to the forensic examination, Daisy died first, Violetta died two or four days later.

7. Blazek sisters

Siamese twins Rose and Joseph Blazek were born in 1878 in Bohemia. The girls were fused in the pelvis, each had lungs and a heart, but only one common stomach. When they were born, the parents turned to a local sorceress to give them advice on what to do with such unusual children. The sorceress advised to leave them without food and drink for 8 days, which was done by the parents. However, the forced hunger strike did not kill the girls, and they strangely survived. Then the sorceress said that the little ones did not appear in the light in order to fulfill a certain mission. Namely: provide your family with money. Already at the age of 1 year they were shown at local fairs. The sisters took everything they could from life. The girls became famous for their virtuoso playing the violin and harp and the ability to dance - each with her partner.

Them living together faded only once. The reason was the romantic relationship of 28-year-old Rosa with a German officer named Franz Dvorak. However, Rosa, like most women, chose to temporarily give up friendship for the sake of her lover - after all, they had common genitals with their sister - and gave birth to an absolutely healthy son, Franz. Rosa dreamed of marrying her lover, but she succeeded only after a long trial, but even after that, until the end of his life, her husband was accused of bigamy. He died in 1917 at the front while serving in the Austrian army. Josephine was also engaged to a young man, but her chosen one died of appendicitis shortly before the wedding. In 1922, while on tour in Chicago, Josepha fell ill with jaundice. The doctors offered the sisters a separation operation to save at least Rosa's life. But she refused and said: "If Josepha dies, I also want to die." Instead, Rosa ate for two to support her sister's strength, and seeing that Josepha was doomed, she wished to die with her. And so it happened: Rosa survived her by only 15 minutes.

8. Brothers Gelion

Ronnie and Donnie Galion - by far the oldest living Siamese twins - were born in 1951 in Dayton, Ohio. And they remained in the hospital for another two years, as the doctors tried to find a way to separate them. But safe way was never found and the parents decided to leave everything as it is. From the age of four, the Siamese twins began to bring money to the family, which they received for their performances in the circus. When the children tried to go to school, the teachers kicked them out because they were too distracting for the other students. And the twins went to Central and South America, where they performed tricks in circuses and entertained people.

At the age of 39, they ended their career in the arena and came back to the USA closer to their younger brother Jim. In 2010, due to a viral infection, their health deteriorated. Blood clots formed in the lungs and Jim suggested that they move to live with him. But his house was not suitable for the disabled. But the neighbors helped, who equipped the house with everything necessary for a comfortable life for the twins. This made life much easier for Ronnie and Donnie, so much so that their health improved. In addition, Jim and his wife really enjoy being with their brothers. They fish together, go to the fair and to restaurants. Of course, many people pay attention to them and laugh at them, but there are also those who pay their restaurant bills and say kind words to them.

9 The Hogan Sisters

Krista and Tatiana Hogan were born in 2006 in Vancouver, Canada. They were healthy and normal weight and the only thing that distinguished them from other pairs of twins was their fused heads. In the course of numerous surveys, it turned out that girls have a mixed nervous system and despite different couples eye, general vision. So, one of the sisters perceives information that she is not able to see, “using” at the same time the eyes of the other. This suggested that the brains of the Hogan sisters were also interconnected.

The family signed a contract with National Geographic and the Discovery Channel to shoot a documentary. The mother and grandmother of the Siamese twins have already seen some scenes from the film and were pleasantly surprised by the "respectful, scientific approach" that the director took. That is why the family refused to participate in the popular reality show. They do not need fame, and a documentary about their life can help other Siamese twins.

10. Sahu Brothers

Siamese twins Shivanath and Shivram Sahu have caused quite a stir in India. Some villagers, which is located near the city of Raipur, even began to worship them, mistaking them for the incarnation of the Buddha. When doctors advised that the 12-year-old brothers, who were born joined at the waist, could be separated, the family refused, saying they wanted to leave things as they were. The brothers have two legs and four arms. They can bathe, dress and eat themselves. Twins share the same stomach but have independent lungs and hearts.

Thanks to training, Shivanath and Shivram learned to spend on all the basic daily procedures - shower, food, toilet - with a minimum of effort. They are able to climb down the stairs of their house and even play with the neighborhood children. They especially love cricket. They are also good students and, to the pride of their caring father, Raja Kumar, are considered among the best students in their school. He is very protective of his sons and says that he will not allow them to leave their native village. By the way, the brothers have five more sisters.

Babies Rabia and Rukia, dressed in the same red vests, "closed" to each other so much that there was a real threat to their lives.

The sisters were born with their heads fused at a clinic in Pabna, Bangladesh (Pabna, Bangladesh), in July 2016.

The girls' parents, Taslima and Mohammed, found out that their babies were Siamese twins only after the birth of Rabia and Rukia.

It took cesarean section and two weeks in the department intensive care, after which the doctors considered the condition of the girls stable.

The families of Rabia and Rukia will have to wait agonizingly for the next two years to see if surgeons can separate the fused twins.

During pregnancy, Taslima felt great, almost until the very last month.

The woman in labor was transferred to a clinic in northern Bangladesh, where the decision was made to perform a caesarean section.

Only during childbirth did the mother have some suspicions and a feeling that something might be wrong with her girls.

Taslima recalls: "Suddenly the doctor shouted that I was having twins. He said they needed medicine, otherwise they would not get out."

"At that moment I was overcome with anxiety. I thought that I could give birth to conjoined twins."

"That night I heard two different screams. I saw my children for the first time the next morning when I walked away from the birth."

She continues: "The thought stuck in my head: how will I keep them? How will I feed them? How will I take care of them? At the time, I was worried about these things."

During her pregnancy, Taslima, now 28, continued to teach at a local school and look after her eldest daughter, seven-year-old Rafiya.

An ultrasound examination did not reveal any abnormalities, but in the penultimate month of pregnancy, the woman experienced unpleasant pain.

When doctors took another sonogram, they began to worry about "too big heads" in children. However, the doctors decided that the fluid accumulated in the brain affected the size.

The patient was prescribed a drug that was supposed to reduce the size of the head of her children in the womb.

Even when the operation to extract the babies began, the doctors did not immediately notice that they were dealing with Siamese twins.

Taslima was recovering from anesthesia for almost a whole day before she found out about the real condition of her newborn girls.

Her husband, 27-year-old Muhammad Rafikul, recalls the moment when he entered the operating room and heard about the deplorable condition of Rabia and Rukia.

He stated: "Doctors told me that my twins have fused heads. I have never seen such children. I was nervous."

Rabia and Rukia spent 15 days in the intensive care unit before the parents were allowed to take the children home, where they were met by an older sister.

Taslima recalls: "When my daughter Rafiya first saw her sisters, she asked why they were like that. She said the girls didn't look good, asked why their heads were tied together, and then added, 'Please separate their heads.'

"I replied that both babies are beautiful. I said that I would take them with me to the operation in Dhaka, where their heads would be separated from each other, and that after that Raffia could hold her sisters."

Doctors continue to monitor the health of the twins and find out if a surgical separation of Rabia and Rukia is possible.

Professor Rohu Rahim, a pediatric surgeon advising the family at the Medical University, said there is hope.

"Baby's heads are joined at the sides," explains Raheem. "In other children, we have seen a variant where the heads are joined from front to back, which creates problems with mobility."

"Because in this case the heads are joined by the sides, such physical movements, for example, as the rotation of the neck, are carried out more easily."

Rabia and Rukia will need to undergo a 40-60 minute MRI scan. In addition, doctors also need to figure out how blood circulates in the brains of twins - together or separately in each head.

Taslima adds: "For the girls to have a future, separation is required. They are not in the best condition right now. If I can't separate them now, maybe in the future they will ask me why I didn't."

Professor Rahim says it will take about two years for the team of experts to make a final decision on the separation of Rabia and Rukia.

He stated: "This operation is not comparable to any other. It is difficult and complicated procedure and will require the efforts of the whole team."

Until a final decision is made, Taslima and Mohammed will have to do everything possible to ensure that the twins continue to develop and experience as much as possible. less complexity. However, the latter seems to be extremely problematic.

Mohammed Rafikul said: "If the doctors agree to operate, we will certainly be ready for this. If the doctors refuse, then we will be unable to somehow influence the situation."

Rabia and Rukia underwent a full medical examination. At some point, the babies were found to have jaundice, which was successfully cured.

The girls' parents, both teachers, fear that they will not be able to finance the operation, and therefore appealed to the Bangladeshi government for help.

Mohammed said: "Surgery will be costly. We are unable to raise the required amount, so we are asking the government to help us."

"For our daughters to live full life surgery is essential. I pray to God that Rabia and Rukia are both alive after the operation and can live a wonderful life."

Once upon a time, the fate of all Siamese twins was one - to serve as amusement to the public. Today's world is not so cruel, but not many such twins become happy. We want to tell you about the difficult and often tragic fate of these people.

Siamese twins are identical twins that have not completely separated during the embryonic period of development and share body parts and/or internal organs. The chance of such people being born is approximately one in 200,000 births. More often, Siamese twins are born girls, although the first two pairs of the most famous Siamese twins were born boys. But if we discard science and “turn on” feelings, then you will not envy the fate of these people.

1. Unnamed Siamese twins

The earliest case of the birth of Siamese twins was scientifically recorded and dated to the year 945. This year, two fused boys from Armenia were brought to Constantinople for medical examination. A pair of unnamed Siamese twins managed to survive and even grow up. They were well known at the court of Emperor Constantine VII. After the death of one of the brothers, doctors made the first ever attempt to separate Siamese twins. Unfortunately, the second brother did not survive either.

2. Chang and Eng Bunker

The most famous pair of Siamese twins were the Chinese Chang and Eng Bunker. They were born in 1811 in Siam (modern Thailand). Later, all twins born with such a physical anomaly began to be called "Siamese". Chang and Eng were born with fused chest cartilage. In modern science, this type is called "xifopagi twins", and such twins can be divided. But in those days, the boys had to perform in the circus for the entertainment of the public in order to survive. For many years they toured with the circus under the nickname "Siamese twins" and became famous all over the world.

In 1839, the brothers stopped performing, bought a farm and even married two sisters. They gave birth to perfectly healthy children. These famous brothers died in 1874. When Chang died of pneumonia, Eng was sleeping at the time. Waking up and finding his brother dead, he also died, although before that he was healthy.

3. Millie and Christina McCoy

Another famous case of the birth of Siamese twins occurred in 1851. In North Carolina, a pair of Siamese twins, Millie and Christina McCoy, were born into a family of slaves. When the babies were eight months old, they were sold to D. P. Smith, a famous showman. It was assumed that when the girls grew up, they would be used to perform in the circus. They started performing at age three and were known as the "Two-Headed Nightingale". The girls had a musical education, sang well and played musical instruments. The sisters toured until the age of 58, and died in 1912 from tuberculosis.

4. Giovanni and Giacomo Tocci

Siamese twins Giovanni and Giacomo Tocci were born in 1877 in Italy as dicephalic twins. They had two heads, two legs, one body and four arms. It was said that when they saw the kids, their father, not having survived the shock, landed in a psychiatric clinic. But resourceful relatives decided to take advantage of the misfortune and forced the boys to perform in public. But Giovanni and Giacomo disliked this and did not respond well to “training”. They never learned to walk as each head only had control over one of the legs. According to some sources, the Tocci brothers died in early age. Their difficult life was described in one of his stories by the famous writer Mark Twain.

5. Daisy and Violetta Hilton

These girls were born in 1908 in Brighton, England. They fused in the pelvis, but they did not have any vital common organs. At first, their fate was extremely sad. From birth, they were doomed to perform in various show programs. The twins were bought by Mary Hilton from their barmaid mom, and they started their first show while still very young. The girls sang and played musical instruments, touring throughout Europe and America. After the death of Mary Hilton, her relatives began to “patronize” the girls. And only in 1931, Daisy and Violetta were able to obtain the long-awaited freedom and 100 thousand dollars in compensation through the court.

The twins continued to perform and even came up with their own program. They toured in their senior years and even starred in two films, one of which was a biopic called Bound for Life.

Daisy and Violetta Hilton died in 1969 from the flu. Daisy died first, and Violetta remained alive for some time, but she did not have the opportunity to call anyone for help.

6. Simplicio and Lucio Godina

These two boys were born in 1908 in the city of Samar in the Philippines. The case is unique in that they were cartilaginously fused in the pelvis back to back, yet they were so flexible that they could turn to face each other. When the twins were 11 years old, they were taken to their upbringing by a wealthy Filipino, Theodore Yangeo. He raised the boys in luxury and took care of their good education. In 1928, Simplicio and Lucio married twin sisters (not Siamese) and lived a happy life until 1936, when Lucio fell ill with pneumonia and died. The decision was made to perform an emergency operation to separate the twins, but Simplicio fell ill with spinal meningitis and died 12 days after his brother's death.

7. Masha and Dasha Krivoshlyapov

The most famous Siamese twins of the USSR Masha and Dasha Krivoshlyapov were born on January 4, 1950. Their tragic fate is known to every Soviet person. The sisters were born with two heads, four arms, three legs and one common body. When one compassionate nurse showed the girls to their mother, the poor woman lost her mind and ended up in a psychiatric clinic. The sisters met their mother only when they were 35 years old.

For the first seven years, the girls were kept at the Institute of Pediatrics of the USSR Academy of Sciences, where they were used as "guinea pigs". From 1970 until her death in 2003, the Krivoshlyapov sisters lived in a boarding school for the elderly. In the last years of their lives, Masha and Dasha often drank.

8. Abigail and Brittany Hensel

Sisters Abigail and Brittany Hensel were born in the western United States, in New Germany. On March 7, 2016, they turned 26 years old. Their life is a vivid example of the fact that, remaining a single whole, you can live a completely normal, full life. The Hensel sisters are dicephalic twins. They have one body, two arms, two legs, three lungs. Each has its own heart and stomach, but the blood supply between them is common.

Abigail and Brittany live with their parents younger brother and sister. Each of them controls the arm and leg on their side, and each feels touched only on their side of the body. But they have learned to coordinate their movements very well, so much so that they can play the piano and drive a car. The inhabitants of their small town know the sisters well and treat them well. Abby and Brit have many friends loving parents and a completely fulfilling life. Recently, the sisters graduated from the university, and each received a diploma. Now they teach math in primary school. Their attitude to life, the ability to overcome any difficulties is a special gift.

9. Krista and Tatiana Hogan

These wonderful babies were born in 2006 in Vancouver, Canada. At first, doctors gave a very small chance that the girls would survive. Even before they were born, they suggested that the mother have an abortion. But the young woman insisted on leaving the children, and never once regretted her decision. The girls were born healthy, and the only thing that distinguished them from ordinary children was that the sisters grew together with their heads. Twins grow and develop the way children their age should develop. They speak well and even know how to count. Their parents simply adore them and always say that they are healthy, beautiful and happy.

The birth of twins joined by their heads has been known since the 15th century, when, near the city of Worms in Germany, in 1495, two girls were born "generally good-looking, but fused together and looking at each other from the crown of the head to the forehead" - at least that's what they wrote about them in 1544.

Similar strange creatures were born more than once in later times - for example, " double baby"from Bruges, described in 1544. The same formation is also presented in the St. Petersburg Cabinet of Curiosities. The anatomy of one such creature in the middle of the last century was described in detail by the famous embryologist K. M. Baer. The skulls of the twins were connected in the right frontal region and were slightly deformed. The cavities of both the skulls were connected by a large opening, and the right lobes of the cerebral hemispheres, having merged, had a common part. In 1856, Baer observed another pair of the same children alive and described the features of their appearance and behavior. In 1950, the "Smith babies" from Tasmania were born with their heads connected. There are also some other similar cases.

In 1997, Doctor of Biological Sciences B. Sergeev reported that a pair of twins connected in the head area was observed thirty years ago and tried to be saved by the doctors of Leningrad. Here is what the scientist says about this (we give his material with some abbreviations): "The Siamese twins Vova and Slava were born in one of the maternity hospitals of Khabarovsk. Their mother at that time was only 28 years old, but for her it was already the tenth pregnancy and not the first twins. Apparently, for this reason, she soon lost interest in these children. At the time of birth, the twins, except for fusion, showed no pathology. The children weighed a little more than five kilograms, sucked well and felt normal. At nine months they were transferred to the nursery clinic of the Leningrad Neurosurgical Institute named after A. L. Polenov. The twins had two heads, fused with parietal parts, and two faces separated by a narrow edge of hair. There was no clear boundary between their heads, but the hair on each of them grew in its own direction, and only at the junction of the heads did their direction become uncertain.By the time the twins arrived in Leningrad, it became noticeable that their arms and legs, in comparison with the body, seemed slightly shorter and thinner than normal children. But this could be due to the lack of necessary muscle training.

In a special study of the fused brain of children, a certain pathology was revealed, such as the presence of brain cysts, expansion of the ventricles of the brain and underdevelopment of some of its departments. Nevertheless, there were no significant disturbances in brain activity, and, which seemed especially important, each brain functioned independently, independently of the other. This gave hope for the possibility of prompt separation of children. However, the unified blood supply system of the fused brain, revealed during the examination, sharply reduced the chance of a favorable outcome of the operation.

Interestingly, with a clear separate functioning of the brain of the twins, innate reflexes were discovered, which, when stimulated by only one child, "worked" in both children. A clear picture was given by the plantar reflex. If on the sole right leg one child was swiped with the tip of a pencil, both babies pulled back their right legs, and if the pencil was run along the left sole, they pulled back their left legs. However, the child whose leg was irritated immediately pulled it away, even if he was fast asleep at that time. The second child pulled back the leg of the same name with a delay of 2 and 10 seconds. The salivary unconditioned reflex was carried out in children only in the direction from Slava to Vova. If at the time when Vova was sleeping, a little lemon syrup was poured into Slava's mouth, after 5-10 seconds Vova began to salivate.

Under favorable conditions, the twins slept at the same time. But if one of them was prevented from falling asleep in time, he walked around and, while his brother slept, he could play and cry. But then, the next morning, his sleep often lasted much longer than his brother's. When the children were over two and a half years old, their attitude towards daytime sleep became sharply opposite. After dinner, Vova willingly fell asleep, while Slava, on the contrary, went on a rampage, shouting: "I don't want to go to my room, I don't want to sleep!" But a little later, sparing his brother, he calmed down and did not prevent him from falling asleep.

For the first year and a half of their lives, the children lived practically lying on their backs and in the same position they moved around their space fenced off by a grid. Sometimes the desire to crawl took possession of both babies, and they, synchronously pushing off with their feet, quickly crawled, but it happened that only one child was active, while the second moved passively. Often the children made circular motions, usually moving in a clockwise direction. At the same time, their heads were in the center of the circumscribed circle.

By the age of one and a half, acting in a coordinated manner, the children were able to turn on their side. If only one baby felt the desire to change position, he coped with this task perfectly: the mobility of the cervical vertebrae of both children allowed them to turn their bodies relative to each other by 180 degrees. At the same time, one baby remained lying on his back, and the second turned over on his stomach.

A little later, the children learned to roll over on their stomach synchronously and within several training days, having thoroughly worked out this skill, they deftly did 2-3, and after a while 6-7 full turns in one direction, and then, terribly pleased with themselves, returned to their original position. position. Since that time, the rotational method has become for a short time the main method of moving in space. To the call "Come here!" the children no longer crawled, but rolled.

Since that time, the children began to make attempts to kneel. In this case, it was most difficult for them to raise their heads. In the end, clinging to the headboard with their hands, they also mastered this skill. Slava was the first to try to get on his feet, and Vova began to make such attempts a little later. It took four months to master the skill. Having risen to their feet, the children usually took one of two positions: either, holding onto the net of the crib, they stood with their backs to each other, while their heads leaned back and their eyes were fixed on the ceiling, or, holding onto the barrier, they stood side by side, or could and sit with their heads tilted strongly to one side. At two years old, the children learned to quickly get up and move along the barrier, and after another four months they could walk around the room on their own, without leaning on anything. Vova turned out to be more dexterous and moved confidently, while Slava often had to hold on to him.

Despite the obvious difficulties and the need to take not very comfortable postures, the boys could move very quickly, and their movements were clearly coordinated. During this period, playing football became their favorite pastime. They happily ran after the ball, kicked it and at the same time pushed each other away from the ball. If the need arose, they could bend down and pick it up off the floor. Any of the children could bend down, or they did it together. In Vova and Slava, due to the fact that in the first year and a half of their life the opportunity to reach the subject of interest to them was limited, the legs took over some of the functions of the hands. Toddlers reached out to the toys with their feet, took them with their toes and passed them into their hands. And when the toy got bored, they took it out of their hands with their feet and threw it somewhere far away. The twins used grasping leg movements even while walking.

In the first two years of life, the development of the twins' speech was slow. But by the age of three, this process accelerated and mastery of speech approached the norm. However, the speech activity of children was directed mainly at adults. They spoke little among themselves. Having learned in the first years of their lives to understand each other without words, they could now do without words. The unification of children into a single organism did not prevent each of them from maintaining their individuality. This was manifested in everything: Slava could cry, and Vova at that time enjoyed life, or vice versa. It happened that the children quarreled or even fought. The most common cause for fights was toys. Slava was the leader of the twins. Sometimes he grabbed all the toys and did not want to share with his brother. At an older age, antagonism between children began to manifest itself less often, and now Vova has taken the lead. He became the initiator of games and other joint activities, but sometimes he grabbed common toys and offended Slava.

Even in the first years of the twins' life, a thorough study of their fused organism, including my a and the characteristics of its blood supply, gave little hope for the possibility of a successful operational separation of the babies. Later, a panel of neurosurgeons came to the conclusion that an attempt to separate the twins with an eye to saving the lives of both children would doom them to death. There was only a chance to ensure a full life for one of them at the expense of the death of the other. But which of the doctors would raise his hand to this? The twins remained in the clinic. One day one of the boys fell seriously ill. Save the second failed ... "

Pennsylvania twins Lori and Dori Chappelle were born a few years earlier than Vova and Slava, and also with fused heads, but not only successfully survived, but also learned to experience the joys of life that a person should have. The Sun newspaper recently reported that the sisters, who have already celebrated their 35th birthday, are not at all embarrassed by their unusual connection, they hope that in the end they will find love, get married and have children. Here is what Susan Stiles writes about them: “There are many people in the world who have it even worse,” says Dory. We are not burdened by our life, although others think that we are in a real nightmare 24 hours a day. But we do not complain - both are healthy and happy."

And Laurie adds: "I have everything that men like, including a beautiful figure. My sister and I are quite capable of living a normal life."

Of course, the Chappelle twins have enough problems. Whatever they do, they need complete understanding. Since their faces are directed in different directions, they have to watch TV in a very specific way: one looks at the screen, and the other looks at the reflection in the mirror. "Few people understand the true meaning of the word 'compromise,'" Dory smiles. "But we don't disagree."

The sisters have become popular participants in various talk shows and dream of a musical career. Dori has already recorded several of her songs at the studio and is making plans to tour the country. Laurie will naturally accompany her..."

Chapters from the book of Vinokurov I. V., Nepomniachtchi N. N. "People and Phenomena"

From the Mom Club Articles Archive.py