Conjoined Twins

When two human ova fail to fully separate during pregnancy, the result is conjoined twins. The twins may be connected by ligament, bone, or just flesh, and they often share organs, but what captures most people’s interest is whether the twins share sensations, thoughts and even souls.
This encyclopedia presents entries on conjoined twins throughout history, the biological causes and effects of twins being born conjoined, and ethical issues such as self-support and separation surgery. It also includes entries on the modern standardized terminology used when discussing conjoined twins, the categories into which conjoined twins have been sorted, doctors past and present who have performed separation surgeries, and hospitals, such as Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, that are known for the separation of conjoined twins.
This book even covers fraudulent conjoined twins and fictional ones in books written by such authors as Mark Twain, Vladimir Nabakov, and Katherine Dunn. Other entries cover relevant films, websites, and institutions.

The late Christine Quigley authored books and articles, wrote an eclectic blog called Quigley’s Cabinet and reviewed books for Fortean Times.

Christine Quigley
Format: softcover (7 x 10)
Pages: 206
Bibliographic Info: 71 photos, bibliography, references, index
Copyright Date: 2006 [2003]
pISBN: 978-0-7864-2852-6
eISBN: 978-1-4766-0323-0
Imprint: McFarland

Acknowledgments     v
Preface     1
Introduction     3
The Encyclopedia     7
Annotated Bibliography     181
Index     195

• “Successfully brings together historical, medical, sociological and personal information about conjoined twins and related conditions…provides a global perspective…annotated bibliography is appropriately current…annotations are frequently detailed…comprehensive index…photographs and illustrations included accentuate the text…recommended”—E-Streams
• “An intriguing, unusual survey”—Midwest Book Review
• “A useful reference”—ARBA
• “Very useful”—Fortean Times