
I was so shocked when i read the news on conjoined twins, im speechless, wondering what it is? well heres the definition on it:
Conjoined/Siamese twins are
identical twins or non identical whose bodies are joined in utero. A rare phenomenon, the occurrence is estimated to range from 1 in 50,000 births to 1 in 200,000 births, with a somewhat higher incidence in Southwest Asia and Africa.
[1] Approximately half are
stillborn, and a smaller fraction of pairs born alive have abnormalities incompatible with life.
The overall survival rate for conjoined twins is approximately 25%.
[2] The condition is more frequently found among females, with a ratio of 3:1.
[1]Two contradicting theories exist to explain the origins of conjoined twins. The older and most generally accepted theory is fission, in which the fertilized egg splits partially. The second theory is fusion, in which a fertilized egg completely separates, but
stem cells (which search for similar cells) find like-stem cells on the other twin and fuse the twins together.
The most famous pair of conjoined twins was
Chang and Eng Bunker (Thai: อิน-จัน, In-Chan) (1811–1874),
Thai brothers born in Siam, now
Thailand. They traveled with
P.T. Barnum's circus for many years and were billed as the Siamese Twins. Chang and Eng were joined by a band of flesh, cartilage, and their fused livers at the torso. In modern times, they could have been easily separated.
[3] Due to the brothers' fame and the rarity of the condition, the term came to be used as a
synonym for conjoined twins.