– 1811
Once
every 100,000 births or so twins are born with bodies that are
joined. These conjoined twins may share internal organs and may or
may not be surgically separated.
The
first case of such twins widely known were the brothers Chang and
Eng, who were born to Chinese parents in what was then called Siam
(now called Thailand). Back then, it was not possible to safely
separate the two boys, so they grew up attached at the chest with a
piece of cartilage. Their two livers were also joined.
When
the brothers were 18 years old, they were swimming
(together—obviously, they had to do almost everything together),
and a British merchant saw them. He paid the boys and their family to
take the twins on a world tour, to be exhibited as a curiosity.
Eventually
their contract with the merchant ran out, and Chang and Eng decided
to move permanently to the United States. They bought a farm in North
Carolina, took the last name “Bunker,” and became U.S. citizens.
They bought some slaves to work the farm, and they even married two
sisters! Between them, Chang and Eng had ten children, some of whom
ended up fighting for the Confederacy in the Civil War.
Because
Chang and Eng were so famous, conjoined twins have often been called
“Siamese twins,” even though of course other conjoined twins were
born elsewhere. Interestingly enough, when they were in Siam, the
twins were called “the Chinese twins” because of their Chinese
parents.
Also
on this date:
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