Conjoined Twins Skeleton, 19th Century

Conjoined Twins Skeleton, 19th Century

Skeleton of conjoined twins. Conjoined twins are identical twins born with their bodies joined at some point and having varying degrees of residual duplication, a result of the incomplete division of the ovum from which the twins developed. An extremely rare phenomenon, the occurrence is estimated to range from 1 in 49,000 births to 1 in 189,000 births, with a somewhat higher incidence in Southeast Asia and Africa. Approximately half are stillborn, and an additional one-third die within 24 hours. Most live births are female, with a ratio of 3:1. Appears to be a thoraco-omphalopagus (28% of cases): two bodies fused from the upper chest to the lower chest. These twins usually share a heart, and may also share the liver or part of the digestive system OR Thoracopagus (18.5%): two bodies fused from the upper thorax to lower belly. The heart is always involved in these cases.

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2930 x 4800 px | 40.2 MB

24.8 x 40.6 cm | 9.8 x 16.0 in (300 dpi)