Siamese twins. Biographies, stories, facts, photos Siamese twins with fused heads

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

Siamese twins Chang and Eng were born in Siam (now Thailand) in 1811. Since then, people who have grown together in the womb and began to be called "Siamese". When the king of Siam was informed about the birth of so many unusual twins, connected to each other at the level of the chest with a strip of fabric, 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 death. She rubbed their skin with special creams to give elasticity to the tissues connecting the twins. She achieved that Eng and Chang were able to stand not only face to face, but also change their position more or less freely. Later, the king 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 went into agriculture. Being 44 years old, they married the English sisters - Sarah Ann and Adelaide Yates. The brothers bought two houses and stayed with each sister for a week, living first with one, then with the other. Chang had ten children, Ang 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 in 2003, in Moscow, at the Filatov Central Children's Clinical Hospital, they performed a successful operation to separate the sisters. Its peculiarity was that the Rezakhanovs are ishiopagi, just like the Krivoshlyapov sisters. This is a rather rare species of Siamese twins - about 6% of their 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 health problems. 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 now she has returned to her homeland and is in a hospital in Bishkek. Zita is already completely blind in one eye, she sees very poorly with the second eye, while Gita's health is stable.

3. Masha and Dasha Krivoshlyapovs

They were born on January 4, 1950 in Moscow. When the sisters were born, the nurse of the obstetric brigade fainted. The girls had two heads, one body, three legs, inside they had 2 hearts and three lungs. Their mothers were told that her children were born dead. But the compassionate nurse decided to restore justice and showed the woman her children. The 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 from the medical leadership, signed the death certificate of his daughters and disappeared forever from their lives. They even gave the girls a foreign name - Ivanovna. Apart from each other, the sisters had no one left.

Physiologist Pyotr Anokhin studied them for 7 years at the Institute of Pediatrics of the USSR Academy of Medical Sciences. Then they were admitted to the Central Research Institute of Traumatology and Orthopedics. There, the girls were taught to walk with crutches and were given primary education. For 20 years, the sisters have been guinea pigs for researchers. They only wore them for newspaper photographs. 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. Towards the end of their life, alcoholism began to affect their health more and more. So, Maria and Daria suffered from cirrhosis of the liver and pulmonary edema. After years of struggling with alcohol addiction, Maria suffered cardiac arrest around midnight on April 13, 2003. In the morning, due to complaints from a living sister about her health, the "sleeping" Maria and Daria were hospitalized, then the cause of Maria's death - "acute heart attack" was identified. But for Daria, she remained sound asleep. Since the Krivoshlyapov sisters had a common circulatory system, 17 hours after Maria's death, as a result of intoxication, Daria's death also occurred.

4. Sisters of Bijani

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

After seven months of extensive psychiatric examinations, on July 6, 2003, they were operated on at Raffles Hospital by a large international team of 28 surgeons and more than a hundred support staff. They all worked in shifts. A special chair was designed because the sisters had to be in a sitting position. The risk was great, as their brains not only shared a common vein, but also fused together. The operation ended on July 8, 2003. It was announced that the sisters were in critical condition, both of whom had lost a large amount of blood due to complications during the operation. Frankincense died at 14.30 on the operating table, her sister Laleh died at 16.00.

5. The Hensel sisters

Abigail and Brittany Hensel were born on March 7, 1990 in New Jermany, Minnesota, USA. The Hensel sisters are conjoined twins who, physically remaining one, live a completely normal full-fledged 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. Two spinal cords end in one pelvis, and all organs below the waist are common. Such twins are very rare. Only four pairs of surviving dicephalic twins are recorded in the scientific archives. Each sister controls an arm and a leg on her side, and each only feels touched 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 the right hand and her sister playing the left.

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 have grown together in the area of \u200b\u200bthe hips and buttocks, and also had general blood circulation and a merged pelvis. However, each had its own vital organs working. Mary Hilton - the boss of their mother, who helped with childbirth, apparently saw the prospect of commercial benefits in the girls. And so I actually bought them from my mother and took them under my wing. From the age of three, the Hilton sisters toured throughout Europe, and then in America. Their guardians took all the money the sisters earned. At first it was Mary Hilton, and after her death, her daughter Edith and her husband Mayer Myers continued the business. Only in 1931 did their lawyer Martin J. Arnold help the sisters free themselves from the Meyers' rule: in January 1931, they finally received freedom and $ 100,000 in compensation.

After that, the sisters left street shows and began to participate in vaudeville called "The Hilton Sisters' Revue." And so that they could be distinguished from each other, Daisy dyed her hair blonde. And besides, both began to dress differently. Both had numerous romances, but they all ended in very short marriages. In 1932, the movie "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 had failed to show up and answer the phone, their boss called the police. The twins were found dead in their home after suffering from the Hong Kong flu. According to the forensic medical examination, Daisy was the first to die, Violetta died two or four days later.

7. Sisters Blazek

The conjoined twins Rosa and Joseph Blažek were born in 1878 in Bohemia. The girls grew together in the pelvic area, each had lungs and a heart, but only one common stomach. When they were born, the parents turned to a local healer to give them advice on what to do with such unusual children. The witch doctor 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 healer said that the little ones were not born 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 its own partner.

Their life together was clouded only once. The reason was the romantic relationship of 28-year-old Rose with a German officer named Franz Dvorak. However, Rosa, like most women, chose to temporarily sacrifice friendship for the sake of her lover - after all, they shared the genitals with her sister - and gave birth to an absolutely healthy son, Franz. Rose 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, Joseph fell ill with jaundice. Doctors offered the sisters a separation operation to save at least Rose's life. But she refused and said: "If Joseph dies, I also want to die." Instead, Rosa ate for two to support her sister's strength, and seeing that Joseph was doomed, she wished to die with her. And so it happened: Rose 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 stayed in the hospital for another two years as the doctors tried to find a way to separate them. But a safe way was never found and the parents decided to leave everything as it is. From the age of four, 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 their appearance was too distracting for other students. And the twins went to Central and South America, where in circuses they performed tricks and entertained people.

At 39, they ended their careers in the arena and came back to the United States 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 they move to live with him. But his house was not suitable for disabled people. 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. Plus, Jim and his wife really enjoy being with their brothers. They go fishing 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

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

The family has signed contracts with National Geographic and 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 don't need fame, and a documentary about their life can help other Siamese twins.

10. Brothers Sahu

Siamese twins Shivanath and Shivram Sahu caused quite a stir in India. Some residents of the village, which is located near the city of Raipur, even began to worship them, mistaking them for the embodiment of Buddha. When doctors said that 12-year-old siblings who were born concatenated 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 wash, dress and feed themselves. Twins have one stomach for two, but they have independent lungs and hearts.

Thanks to training, Shivanath and Shivram have learned to spend a minimum of effort on all the basic daily procedures - shower, food, toilet. They are able to go down the stairs of their house and even play with the neighbour's children. They especially love cricket. They also study well and, to the pride of their caring father, Raji Kumar, are considered some of 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.

On September 6, 1987, the first of its kind, successful operation to separate the fused heads of Siamese twins took place in Baltimore. Attempts to operate on such children have been undertaken in the past, but often ended in the death of one or both children during the operation or shortly after.

Twins Patrick and Benjamin Binder were born on February 2, 1987 in Germany. As their mother said, having learned about the pathology during pregnancy, she wanted to commit suicide.

“I wanted to kill them and myself. I saw children, they had one huge head with two faces. I thought - Lord, how will they live, what will it be like? "

- she said in an interview with the press.

Doctors warned the woman and her husband that if the children were left fused together, they would never learn to sit or crawl. All the more, they could not walk. Neurosurgeon Benjamin Carson from Baltimore undertook the operation to separate the boys.

On the appointed day, seven pediatric anesthesiologists, five neurosurgeons, two cardiac surgeons and five plastic surgeons gathered in the operating room. All of them have been preparing for the operation for the last months, practicing on dummies.

Doctors cooled the bodies of small patients to 20 ° C, stopping the blood flow. This technique was used for such an operation for the first time.

The count went on for minutes - at a certain time it was necessary to launch the life support system, otherwise the boys' health would be irreparably damaged.

After the operation, the doctors immersed the children in a medical coma. A crowd of journalists was already on duty at the door of the hospital. The newspapers were full of headlines about the operation and doctors' predictions for the future life of the twins. However, when seven months later the family returned to Germany, interest in them noticeably faded, even Carson himself could not contact them. He sent letters to the family, but never received an answer.

Alas, despite the fact that both boys survived, they both remained disabled. Benjamin was able to make sounds, Patrick was silent. Back in Baltimore, he choked and stayed for some time without oxygen - perhaps this traumatized the child's brain. By 1993, none of the twins could eat or otherwise serve themselves.

By 2015, Patrick had passed away. Benjamin was able to relatively adapt, but never learned to speak. The children's father drank himself to drink and died, the mother married another man and gave birth to another boy, this time healthy.

Although the outcome of the operation was not the best, the surgeons still proved that such interventions are generally possible.

Carson himself later carried out four more similar operations and as a result of one of them, in 1997 in Zambia, the children not only survived, but also developed completely normally.

Head fusion - craniophagia - occurs in Siamese twins only in 2-6% of cases. Most often, Siamese twins are thoracopagi and omphalopagi. With such pathologies, children grow together in the chest area and have a common heart or other organs. They account for more than a third of all births of Siamese twins.

The first mention of Siamese twins dates back to 179 AD, it appeared in the Chinese chronicle of Hou Hanshu. By the 19th century, Siamese twins often became "stars" in freak shows. Those of them who lived to be 20-30 years old had a good income and sometimes even started families.

The most famous Siamese twins in the USSR and Russia were the ischiopagas Masha and Dasha Krivoshlyapovs, who grew together in the abdominal cavity and had one pelvis and one pair of limbs for two. The women lived for 53 years, received their primary education, and learned to walk. They abandoned the separation operation. Perhaps their lives would have lasted longer, but due to alcohol abuse, Mary's heart stopped and she died.

Since the sisters had a common circulatory system, Daria died 17 hours later.

The other Siamese twins, sisters Abigail and Brittany Hensel from the United States, had a better life. Girls born in 1990 have one torso, two arms, two legs and three lungs for two. They were able to learn not only to walk, but also to drive, ride a bicycle, swim and play the piano.

The girls graduated and work in elementary school teaching math to children.

Their peers from Kyrgyzstan, Zita and Gita Rezerkhanov, were successfully operated on. Each of them was left with one leg and was forced to walk with a prosthesis. In 2015, Zita died of multiple organ failure. Gita is still alive.

Little Rabia and Rukia, dressed in the same red undershirts, "got close" to each other so much that there was a real threat to their lives.

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

The girls' parents, Taslim and Mohammed, learned that their babies were Siamese twins only after Rabia and Rukia were born.

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

The family of Rabia and Rukia will have to spend the next two years in agonizing suspense to find out if the surgeons will be able to 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 it was decided to have a caesarean section.

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

Taslima recalls: “Suddenly the doctor shouted that I had 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 fused twins."

"That night, I heard two different screams. I first saw my children the next morning when I moved away after giving birth."

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

During her pregnancy, Taslima, now 28, continued to teach at the local school and care for her eldest daughter, seven-year-old Rafia.

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

When the doctors took another sonogram, they began to fear that the children had "too big heads". However, the doctors decided that the size was influenced by the fluid accumulated in the brain.

The patient was prescribed a medication to reduce the size of her babies' heads 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 learned about the real condition of her newborn girls.

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

He stated: "The doctors told me that my twins have fused heads. I have never seen children like this. 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 Rafia 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 an operation in Dhaka, where their heads would be separated from each other, and that after that Rafia would be able to hold her sisters."

Doctors continue to monitor the twins' health and are investigating whether a surgical separation of Rabia and Rukia is possible.

Professor Rohu Rahim, a pediatric surgeon advising the family at a medical university, said there was hope.

"The heads of the babies are connected at the sides," explains Rahim. "In other children, we have seen the option where the heads are connected from front to back, which creates problems with mobility."

"Since the heads are connected at the sides in this case, physical movements such as rotating the neck are easier."

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

Taslima adds: "Securing the girls' future requires separation. They are not in their best condition right now. If I cannot separate them now, they may ask me why I didn’t do it in the future."

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

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

Until a final decision is made, Taslima and Muhammad will have to do everything possible so that the twins continue to develop and experience as little difficulty as possible. 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 not be able to somehow influence the situation."

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

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

Muhammad said: "The surgery will be expensive. We have no way to raise the required amount, so we ask the government to help us."

"For our daughters to have a full life, surgery is essential. I pray to God that Rabia and Rukia will both survive after the surgery and have a wonderful life."

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

The birth of twins joined by their heads has been known since the 15th century, when two girls were born near the city of Worms in Germany in 1495, "generally fine-looking, but fused together from crown to forehead and looking at each other" - at least that's what they wrote about them in 1544 year. One of them died at the age of 10. The living was separated from the dead, but she too soon followed into another world.

Similar strange creatures were born more than once in later times - for example, the "double child" from Bruges, described in 1544. The same education is presented in the 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.Bair. The twins' skulls were joined at the right frontal region and were slightly deformed. The cavities of both skulls were connected by a large opening, and the right lobes of the cerebral hemispheres, merged, had a common part. In 1856 Baer observed alive another pair of the same children and described the features of their appearance and behavior. In 1950, the head-joined "Smith Babies" of Tasmania were born. Some other similar cases are also known.

In 1997, Doctor of Biological Sciences B. Sergeev reported that a pair of twins joined in the head region was observed thirty years ago and tried to save the doctors of Leningrad. Here is what the scientist tells about this (we cite his material with some abbreviations): "The Siamese twins Vova and Slava were born in one of the maternity hospitals in Khabarovsk. Their mother at that time was only 28 years old, but for her it was already the tenth pregnancy and not the first Apparently, for this reason, she soon lost interest in these children. At the time of birth, the twins, except for fusion, no pathology was found. 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 They are slightly shorter and thinner than normal children. But this could be due to the lack of necessary muscle training.

A special study of the accreted brain of children revealed a certain pathology such as the presence of cerebral cysts, expansion of the ventricles of the brain and underdevelopment of some of its departments. Nevertheless, no significant brain disturbances were observed, and, what seemed especially important, each brain functioned independently, independently of the other. This gave hope for the possibility of an operational 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.

It is interesting that with a clear separate functioning of the brain of the twins, innate reflexes were found, which, when only one child was irritated, "worked" in both children. The plantar reflex gave a clear picture. If the tip of a pencil was passed along the sole of one child's right foot, both babies pulled back their right legs, and if they were carried along the left sole with a pencil, they pulled back their left legs. However, the child, whose leg was irritated, pulled it away instantly, 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 unconditioned salivary reflex was realized in children only in the direction from Slava to Vova. If, while Vova was asleep, a little lemon syrup was poured into Slava's mouth, Vova started salivating after 5-10 seconds.

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. 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, raged, shouting: "I don't want to go to the 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 moved around their space fenced off by a grid. Sometimes the desire to crawl seized both babies, and they, simultaneously pushing off with their feet, quickly crawled, but it happened that only one child was active, and the second moved passively. Children often made circular movements, usually moving in a clockwise direction. In this case, their heads were in the center of the circumscribed circle.

By the age of one and a half, acting harmoniously, 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 180 degrees relative to each other. In this case, 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 stomachs synchronously and within several training days, having thoroughly worked out this skill, they deftly performed 2-3, and after a while even 6-7 full turns in one direction, and then, terribly pleased with themselves, returned to the original position. Since that time, the rotational method has become for a short time the main method of movement in space. To the call "Come here!" the children were no longer crawling, but rolling.

From that time on, the children began to make attempts to kneel down. In this case, it was most difficult for them to raise their heads. In the end, clinging to the headboard with their hands, they mastered this skill as well. Slava was the first to try to get up 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 poses: either, holding on to the net of the crib, they stood with their backs to each other, and at the same time their heads were thrown back and their eyes were fixed on the ceiling, or, holding on to 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 relying on anything. Vova turned out to be more agile and moved confidently, while Slava had to hold on to him more often.

Despite the obvious difficulties and the need to take not very comfortable postures when moving, the boys could move very quickly, and their movements were clearly coordinated. During this period, playing football became their favorite entertainment. 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 lift him off the floor. Any of the children could bend down, or they did it together. For Vova and Slava, due to the fact that in the first year and a half of their life the ability to reach the object that interested them was limited, the legs took over some of the functions of the hands. The kids reached out with their feet to the toys, 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 life without words to understand each other, they could now do without words. The unification of children into a single organism did not prevent each of them from preserving their individuality. This manifested itself in everything: Slava could cry, and Vova was enjoying life at that time, or vice versa. It happened that children quarreled or even fought. Most often, toys were the reason for fights. 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 less often, and leadership now passed to Vova. He became the initiator of games and other joint actions, but sometimes he grabbed common toys and offended Slava.

Even in the first years of twins' life, a thorough study of their fused organism, including mine and the peculiarities of its blood supply, gave little hope for the possibility of a successful operational separation of the babies. Later, a council of neurosurgeons came to the conclusion that an attempt to separate the twins with an eye to saving the lives of both children would have doomed 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 a hand for this? The twins remained in the clinic. One day one of the boys fell seriously ill. It was not possible to save the second ... "

The Pennsylvania twins Laurie and Dori Chappel 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 laid down for a person. 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. Susan Styles writes about them: "There are many people in the world who are even worse off," says Dory. We are not burdened by our life, although people around us think that we are in a real nightmare 24 hours a day. But we do not complain - because 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, for example, they have to look at television in a very specific way: one looks at the screen, and the other at the reflection in the mirror. “Few people understand the true meaning of the word compromise,” smiles Dory. “But we don't have disagreements.”

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

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

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