The true tale of Edward Mordake (Mordrake) has been lost to history. His unusual case occurred early in medical history and is referenced only in tales handed down. Indeed, the tale of his life has become so muddled through the passage of time that no solid date of birth or death is evident to modern researchers. The story always begins the same way. Edward is said be have been heir to one of the noblest families in
In some versions of the story, the second face of Edward is a beautiful girl. This is an impossibility as all parasitic twins are of the same sex. Often it was said that it possessed its own intelligence and was quite malignant in its intentions. It has been said that the eyes would follow spectators and its lips would ‘gibber’ relentlessly and silently. According to legend it would smile and sneer as Edward wept over his condition. While no voice was ever audible, Edward swore that often he would be kept awake by the hateful whispers of his ‘evil twin’.
The story has always concluded with young Edward committing suicide at the age of twenty-three. The method of his death also differs, sometimes poison does him in and in other versions a bullet ‘between the eyes of his devil-twin’ puts him out of his misery. In both versions Edward leaves behind a letter requesting that the 'demon face' be destroyed before his burial, 'lest it continues its dreadful whisperings in my grave.'
Is the story of Edward true? The 1896 text Anomolies and Curiosities of Medicine mentions a version of the story and Edward has been featured in many texts, plays and even music as the Tom Waits song ‘Poor Edward’ is based on the story. However, the tale was considered false for quite some time. It was simply too fantastic to believe and, obviously, many parts of the story simply do not make medical sense – years of retelling warped what was likely a very real occurrence.
Chang Tzu Ping was discovered in
It does not require a great leap of faith to conclude that the tale of Edward is based on some nugget of fact, perhaps he had something similar Chang’s condition – mutated by storytellers over time. Consider that the case of Chang Tzu Ping is relatively unknown despite only occurring a few decades ago or the strange tale of The Boy of Bengal. These are indeed very rare cases and the human mind has a tendency to classify the unusual as impossible – it often helps us sleep well at night.
Listen to the Tom Wait song inspired by Edward Mordrake.See a brief video of Chang Tzu Ping here.
image: Janus twin drawing based on Edward -Unknown Artist.
2. Still of Chang from 'That's Incredible', 1982.
Myrtle Corbin, was known as the Four-Legged Woman – however that moniker was slightly misleading. While at a glance one could plainly see four legs dangling beyond the hem of her dress – only one pair belonged to her, the other set to her dipygus twin sister. Born in Lincoln County, TN in 1868 and spending most of her childhood in Blount County, AL - where she can be found in the 1880 census - her condition was incredibly rare. The tiny body of her twin was only fully developed from the waist down and even then it was malformed – tiny and possessing only three toes on each foot. Myrtle was able to control the limbs of her sister but was unable to use them for walking and she herself had a difficult time getting around as she was born with a clubbed foot. Technically, the ‘Four-Legged Woman’ only had one good, usable leg.Myrtle was a popular attraction with P.T. Barnum, and later with Ringling Bros. and Coney Island. Her popularity was likely linked to her showmanship – she would often dress the extra limbs with socks and shoes matching her own and this gave her a truly surreal appearance. Myrtle was so popular that she was able to earn as much as $450 dollars a week.
At the age of 19 Myrtle married a doctor named Clinton Bicknell. It was then that other aspects of her bizarre anatomy became evident. It seems that her twin sister was also fully sexually formed – thus Myrtle possessed two vaginas. She had four daughters and a son and it has been rumored that three of her children were born from one set of organs and two from the other. Whether this is true or not; it is medically possible. In Anomalies and Curiosities of Medicine by George M. Gould and Walter L. Pyle it was observed that both vaginas menstruated – thus indicating both were possibly sexually functional.
Myrtle passed on May 6, 1928, surrounded by family and friends.
Perumal was born in Madras, India in 1888 and his images are often mistaken for fellow multi-limbed Indian Laloo. Perumal began his exhibition career at a very young age and often appeared in photographs with an companion Indian dwarf named Soopromanien, who was sometime mistakenly called Sami. Sami was Perumal’s family name.He toured primarily in Europe, but did tour briefly with the Ringling Bros. circus. While in America he gained a reputation for being a difficult and a perfectionist and displaying a strong dislike for western culture. He often refused to eat ‘American food’ and eventually employed his own Indian cooks to prepare his meals.
Just like Laloo and other marvels with parasitic twin, Perumal’s twin was billed as being female and was dressed accordingly. That was, of course impossibility and all parasitic twins are same-sexed.
Little else is known of Perumal. No record exists of his exploits, romantic of otherwise, following his official retirement in 1915.
Image: Perumal later in life from 'We Who Are Not As Others'.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTSLabels: parasitic
On July 7th, 1931 in Winnipeg, Manitoba Ernie Defort was born with a parasitic twin attached at to his sternum.Ernie’s brother consisted of a headless rudimentary body with two arms and two legs. As such, Erie was billed as being ‘Two Boys with One Head’. Ernie’s twin was even given a name, and together they were often billed as ‘Len and Ernie’ or sometimes 'Lester and Ernie'. The body was actually quite well formed with two arms and legs as well as two livers and a set of kidneys.
Ernie’s short career was mostly limited to Canadian appearances with Conklin Shows. In 1942 Ernie’s health began to be an issue due to the continued growth of his brother.
At the age of 12, the decision was made to amputate Len. Ernie was not pleased with the idea as he was very emotionally attached to his brother. He once was even quoted as saying then when spanked, he would prefer the bottom of his brother take the brunt.
He was taken to the famous Mayo Clinic in Rochester in December of 1943 where 'Len' was amputated by renown surgeon and sarcoma specialist Dr. Henry Meyerding, known more for his cancer research then parasitic twin separation.
Dr. Meyerding observed that Ernie was an 'unusually strong and intelligent boy' stating that his intelligence at 12 was more on par with a 19 year old. Furthermore, the Dr. claimed that Ernie would be ready to return to school 'in four to six weeks'.
Ernie physically survived the more than two hour operation and reportedly suffered depression and some psychological problems after the loss of the parasitic twin he regarded as a brother. However he eventually came to terms with his loss and went on to live a full and well adjusted life, without the companionship of his 'little brother'.
Frank Conklin believes that Ernie was married later in life and would sometimes return to the Carnival later in life with his family.
image: A reproduction of a 1936 photo card sold at a Coklin date in Vancouver.
To learn more about Ernie and other Human Marvels purchase American Sideshow.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTSLabels: parasitic
Lentini was born in 1889 in Rosolini in the province of Sirocusa, Sicily as one of twelve children. Technically, he was one of 12 and a half children. His twin brother, who consisted of a leg and a set of genitals, was born attached to Francesco’s spine. While he was billed as ‘The Man With Three Legs’, Lentini actually had four feet as a small malformed secondary foot protruded from his third leg. Thus in total he had three legs, four feet, sixteen toes and two sets of functioning male genitals. Furthermore, to complicate his life further, all of Francesco’s legs were of different lengths.As a child, Lentini hated his extra limbs and appendages. Doctors determined that because of their proximity to his spine, removal could have resulted in paralysis. Lentini was raised by his aunt after his parents refused to acknowledge him and she, meaning well, enrolled the young Lentini into a home for disabled children. While there he saw children far worse off than he. He saw children who could not walk at all and he gained a new appreciation for life. Lentini not only learned to walk, he also ran, jumped rope, rode a bicycle and even ice skate. His time at the home for disabled children was an experience he quoted for many years as his major motivation.
In 1898, at the age of eight, Lentini arrived in America and became an instant sensation. He charmed crowds with his keen wit and sense of humor. He wowed audiences with his unusual agility as well. He had amazing control over his extra appendage. During performances Lentini was well known for kicking a soccer ball about with the strange limb. As he grew older, Lentini’s performances focused on his charming character.
He would conduct interviews while propped up on his extra limb, using it as a stool. He fielded questions ranging from his innocent hobbies to the particulars of his sex life. He was also often asked about his shoes. People wondered if it was difficult to buy shoes in a set of three. Showing his mental sharpness, he always revealed that he bought two pairs and gave the extra one to a one-legged friend.
His charm did not go unnoticed and a young lady named Theresa Murray soon took a liking to Lentini. The pair soon wed and together they had four healthy children. Lentini continued touring until he died at the age of seventy-eight in 1966. His career spanned over forty years and he worked with every major circus and sideshow including Barnum & Bailey and Coney Island. Lentini was so respected among his peers that he was often simply called ‘The King’.
Image: 1. Card in author's collection, obtained via auction.2. The young Francesco Lentini.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTSLabels: parasitic
George Lippert was born in Germany in 1844. In addition to being born with three legs, he was also born with two functioning hearts although that condition was unknown until is autopsy in 1906.His third leg was fully formed and even possessed an extra toe, giving Lippert a total of sixteen. The leg was not functional. Lippert claimed that his leg had been fully functional until it sustained a fracture. Whether this is a fact or not remains a mystery, but during his career the leg hung motionless.
Early in his career George was billed as the ‘only Three Legged Man on Earth’ and he proved to be quite an attraction. Lippert even worked an exhibit with P. T. Barnum. However evidence indicates that he may not have been the easiest person to do business with. No photographs exist of George Lippert. The pitch card above shows only a painting of Lippert and remains the only pitch card ever used by Lippert. Considering that his career spanned decades and coincided with a great boom in sideshow photography, this is highly unusual and raises several red flags.
Furthermore, when another three legged man appeared in 1898, Lippert was quickly pushed aside and the new prodigy rose to great fame. The Three Legged Man was replaced. By 1899 Lippert was penniless and homeless. He eventually found a benefactor in a florist named Mary Riggs and Lippert cohabitated with Riggs in Salem, Oregon for seven years.
In the summer of 1906 George Lippert died of tuberculosis at the age 62. The autopsy revealed his two hearts and also showed that one heart died two to three weeks before his eventual death. Doctors declared that if Lippert had not had tuberculosis he could have easy lived on for many years. He would have been sustained by his secondary heart.
Image: One of two known variants of the portait pitch card of Lippert. In author's collection.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTSLabels: parasitic
Laloo was born in Oudh, India as the second of four siblings in 1874. He was accompanied into this world by his parasitic twin brother who was little more than a headless mass of limbs attached to his breastbone.Laloo's brother consisted of two arms and two legs, a functioning penis with a complete urinary system and, although lacking testicles, the twin was quite capable of maintaining an erection at inopportune times. Unfortunately, the twin also needed to occasionally urinate and, although Laloo could detect tactile sensations through his brother, he was often only aware of his brother's need to eliminate after the fact. Laloo took to diapering his sibling and, fortunately, the twin was unable to defecate.
Laloo was quite popular in nearly every big sideshow of his era, he traveled extensively and even worked with P. T. Barnum. His advertisements often billed him as the ‘Handsome, Healthy, Happy Hindoo' – as 'exotic' acts and persons were all the rage in America at that time. Also, in a bit of common showmanship, he would often dress his brother as a girl and advertise the twin as his sister. That is, until that erection issue started to throw a wrench into the act.
Laloo was also something of an rights activist and, in 1889, he participated in a well orchestrated protest to have sideshow performers referred to as "prodigies" and not "freaks". The protest was successful and the word 'freak' fell out of common practice for quite some time.
By 1894 Laloo was married, to a average woman, and well off financially. Not only did he command great sums from his sideshow ventures, he also padded his income by offering to display his body to physicians for examinations at a great profit. It has been said that Laloo lived a very lavish lifestyle.
Unfortunately, Laloo died an early death in a train wreck in 1905 while working for the Norris and Rowe circus in Mexico.
To learn more about this and other Human Marvels purchase American Sideshow.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
Betty Lou Williams was born Lillie B Williams in
She was originally discovered at the age of one by a professional showman named Dick Best. Best changed the name of the little girl to Betty Lou – perhaps in an attempt to promote the parasite as a male, a lie that was popular in parasitic twin displays – and he began to display the infant in his
Working for Ripley, at the age of two, Betty Lou made an astounding $250 a week. As she grew into adulthood, she made over $1000 a week. With her earnings she purchased a 260 acre ranch for her parents and sent all eleven of her siblings to college.
The jump in Betty Lou’s earnings was due in part to the fact that, as she matured, she developed into quite an attractive woman. Her beauty and generosity drew many male suitors and, at the age of twenty-three, she became engaged to one of her admirers. However the husband-to-be was little more than a heartbreaking thief. He left Betty Lou taking a great deal of money with him and, distraught over the breakup, Betty suffered a severe asthma attack at her home in
Betty Lou suffocated to death at the age of twenty-three.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTSThe Two-Headed Boy of Bengal was born in the
The term ‘Two-Headed’ may be a bit misleading as rather that two heads side by side, the Boy actually had head atop the other. When compared to the average child, both heads were of an appropriate size and development. The second head sat atop the main head inverted and simply ended in a neck-like stump. The second head seemed to, at times, function independently from the main head. When the boy cried or smiled the features of the second head did not always match. Yet, when the main head was fed, the second head would produce saliva. Furthermore, if the second head was presented with a breast to suckle – it would attemp to do so. While the main head was well formed the secondary head did posses some irregularities. The eyes and ears were underdeveloped. The tongue was small and the jaw malformed but both were capable of motion. When the Boy slept, the secondary head would often be observed alert and awake – eyes darting about.
Despite the attention the Boy of Bengal received, none of it was medical in nature. There were no intensive first hand medical examinations of the Boy on record and the vast majority of the press attention given to the Boy focused no on his condition, but rather his ‘freakish’ appearance. The Boy, who seemed to suffer no serious ill effects in relation to his condition, died at the age of four from a cobra bite. It was only then, after much unseemly business, that medicine was able to examine the case.
The Boy was buried near the
When Mr. Dent had dissected the heads he discovered that the brains were separate and distinct. Each brain was also enveloped in its proper coverings and it appeared as though both brains received the nutrition required to sustain life and thought. The skull of the Boy of Bengal can still be seen at the
The classification of this condition is today known as Craniopagus parasiticus and technically falls under the category of parasitic twins however many of the early naturalists have attempted to classify the Bengal case as a case of conjoined twins due to the signs of independent life given by the secondary head.
Previous to 1783 teratology texts listed no fewer that eight suspected cases of Craniopagus parasiticus however the Boy of Bengal case is not only the earliest well documented account, but also the first account of such a case surviving past infancy. Recently on
images : 1. Postcard from the Hunterian Museum of London 2. Hand drawings of the Boy of Bengal by Mr. Smith 3. Hand-colour drawings of The Boy of Bengal by Mr Dent
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
While there is scarce material on Blanche Dumas, her alleged lover Juan Baptista dos Santos was the subject of some fairly intense study.Juan Baptista dos Santos was born in Portugal around 1843 in the town of Faro and was examined for the first time when he was only six months old. His parents and two siblings were well formed and it was said that his gestation and birth were uneventful. As a child, Juan was considered quite handsome, fit and well proportioned - except for the two distinct genitalia and extra fused limbs he possessed.
It was observed that urination proceeded simultaneously from both penises. What appeared to be a third leg dangling from the pubis was in fact two limbs fused together as one with a small and supernumerary anus. The compound limb had a patella but, while the limb joint was freely movable, it had no motor control or power of motion. A journal, published in London states that Juan Baptista dos Santos had been exhibited in Paris, and that the surgeons advised operation.
That operation never occurred as a further report from Havana, dated July, 1865, details a further detailed examination of Santos at twenty-two years of age. This report also brought forward the claim that Santos possessed an ‘animal passion’ and had a ravenous sexual appetite and permissive reputation. This same report claims that Juan Baptista dos Santos used both penises during intercourse and, after finishing with one he would continue with the other.
A further report details the physiology of Santos in full adulthood and is accompanied by a detailed illustration. This report also detailed Santos was in the habit of wearing this limb in a special sling or bound firmly to his right thigh. This not only prevented the limb from dangling, it also allowed him greater freedom of activity – he was said to be an avid horseback rider.
During his lifetime, Santos was perused by several sideshows and circuses. In 1865 – he turned down a contract worth 200,000 francs to perform in a French circus. However, Santos opted to exhibit himself to medical authorities and rare ‘special’ exhibitions. Despite his extensive medical examinations and relative fame in medial circles only one photo of Juan Baptista dos Santos and that to focuses mainly on his dual genitalia.
Image and excerpts taken from Anomalies and Curiosities of Medicine - image credited to Pare reproduction.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
It is believed that Blanche Dumas was born on the
She purportedly had a very broad pelvis, two imperfectly developed legs and a third leg attached to her coccygeus and, in addition to normal well developed breasts, she also had two smaller rudimentary breasts – complete with nipples - close together above her pubic area. Furthermore Blanche also had two vaginas and two well-developed vulvas and, allegedly, both had equally developed sensitivity. Her sexual appetite was said to be very pronounced. She was know to have many male admirers and was know to ‘entertain’ men with both her vaginas.
So pronounced was Blanche’s libido that she eventually moved to
Excerpts of the above taken from the book Very Special People as well as Anomalies and Curiosities of Medicine.
Ambrose Paré wrote in 1530 of a forty year old man with a headless parasitic body hanging ‘like a pendulum’ from his belly. He also wrote of a German man, ‘born the same year that peace was made with the Swiss and King Francis’ who had a parasitic head protruding from his abdomen. These accounts and the illustrations that accompanied them serve as the earliest confirmed documentation of an epigastric parasite. One can hypothesize that many mythologies – like the gods Vishnu (many arms) and Janus (two headed / many faced) resulted from the observation of human marvels born attached to a parasitic twin. One of the most well documented cases of early parasitic twining is the case of Lazarus-Joannes Baptista Colloredo (pictured). The 17th century anatomist Bartholinus detailed the history of Lazarus-Joannes Baptista Colloredo quite diligently and personally observed the man for the purpose of documentation. Born in
There were allegedly some faint signs that Joannes had some independent existence as movements of respiration were evident as were occasional rapid eye fluttering movements. The mouth of Joannes was said to be in a state of near constant salivation and Bartholinus himself wrote that he had seen the arms of Joannes move in response to stimuli. The genitals of Joannes were said to be ‘imperfect’ and it is unclear if any regular eliminations occurred.
Bartholinus first examined Colloredo when the twins were aged at twenty-two however he later amending his report when he was able to examine the twins in
It is believed that Lazarus-Joannes Baptista Colloredo died in the mid 1640’s, however the exact date is unknown.
Labels: parasitic
Parasitic twining is believed to be related to the process that results in conjoined twins, thus parasitic twins are also often referred to as asymmetrical conjoined twins or unequal conjoined twins. The direct cause and reason for parasitic twining is still somewhat unknown however the leading theory states the two separate embryos or fetuses are formed in uteri and one of the twins stops developing during gestation and results in a vestigial to a healthy, otherwise mostly fully-formed individual twin. These parasitic twins are defined as parasitic, rather than conjoined, by being incompletely formed or wholly dependent on the body functions of the host twin – know as the autosite. The condition of parasitic twining does not have a standard appearance and the parasite can be attached at various locations on the body of the host twin. However, some standard classifications have come into regular medical terminology.
Just as conjoined twins united at the head are described as craniopagus or cephalopagus and the specific area of the head where the attachment occurs denotes the second half of the classification (for example, craniopagus occipitalis is the term for fusion in the occipital region and craniopagus parietalis is when the fusion is in the parietal region); craniopagus parasiticus is term for a parasitic head attached to the head of a more fully-developed twin. The most famous example of this case was the Two-Headed Boy of Bengal of 1783 however several other examples exist. Pare mentions and gives an illustration of a woman with a similar condition, having ‘two heads’ and there is another similar record of a Milanese girl who had two heads, one animated and the other quite dead. Upon her death and autopsy it was found that she also had two stomachs.
Anomalies and Curiosities of Medicine also mentions a woman in Bavaria in 1541 with two heads, one of which was deformed, who begged from door to door and the same text references a second naturalist who wrote of what seems the same Bavarian woman ‘of twenty-six with two heads, ‘one of which was comely and the other extremely ugly’.
Epigastric and Dipygus parasites are likely what most envision when they hear the words ‘parasitic twin’. The epigastric category describes the phenomenon of an incomplete twin, usually consisting of a stunted body attached at the lower abdomen often with a rudimentary head imbedded in the autosite's abdomen. Epigastric parasites are acephalic-acardiac, without a brain and or a heart, and are therefore completely dependent on the autosite. Basically, this condition describes limbs dangling from the belly of a child or adult however, there have been cases of entire ‘dead’ bodies attached at the belly and also singular heads. Dipygus (double buttock) and also pygomelia (limbs attached to the buttocks) parasitic twining describes duplication of the lower extremities only. In dipygus two small pelvises are formed side-by side and the autosite has control over all four legs. Often, two sets of sexual organs are present and there have been cases of both sets being fully functional, able to both conceive and procreate.
Finally, fetus in fetu parasitic twining is the stuff of nightmares. Fetus in fetu involves the complete encapsulation of a parasitic twin within the body of the autosite. This means it is conceivable a person can go through life unaware that they carry within them the body of their sibling, a sibling that is literally feeding off of their body resources. Anomalies and Curiosities of Medicine presents many cases of fetus-in-fetu, some of which were not detected until the host began complaining of abdominal pains in adulthood as the twin grew. Often the twin is not discovered until after death as, in some cases, the twin remained dormant thought out the lifespan of the autosite. The placement of a fetus in fetu twin can be anywhere within the body of the autosite. At this moment, is it possible that you have small fetus ‘living’ in the grey matter of your brain - and that is no joke.
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