Conjoined Twins FAQ: What Are Siamese Twins?

Question: Conjoined Twins FAQ: What Are Siamese Twins?

Answer:

Famed twins, Chang and Eng Bunker, were born in Siam (now Thailand) in the early 1800's, although they eventually settled in the United States. As they traveled the world, they became known as "the Siamese twins."

While they were the first conjoined twins whose medical history was documented, they were not the first set of conjoined twins. Records reference a set of conjoined boys living in Constantinople in 945 A.D. Another well-known set, Mary and Eliza Chulkhurst, lived in England in the twelth century.

Conjoined twins, also known as Siamese twins, are a rare type of monozygotic (identical) twins. Find more answers to Frequently Asked Questions About Conjoined Twins.