How common are Siamese twins – and why are they called “Siamese”?
Kim Davies, Bristol Known to medical science as conjoined twins, this form of birth defect is extremely rare, occurring in only one in 25,000 births. Such twins are always identical, the result of a single egg being fertilised but not separating correctly as the embryos develop. The connection between them can range from just a few areas of tissue to entire shared organs, which inevitably has a big impact on the likelihood of successful separation and chances of long-term survival. Although conjoined twins have always made up a fraction of human births, they acquired the term Siamese during the early 19th century through the fame of Chang and Eng, conjoined twin boys born in Siam – now Thailand – in 1811. After touring the US and Canada as young adults, they adopted the surname Bunker, and settled down to become successful farmers, marry twin sisters, and raise families – despite being permanently joined at the waist. They died within hours of each other in 1874. Please send your quest
