Conjoined Twins When I was at third grade, I remember my father showing me his album of his trip to America, he used to travel a lot with his friends, I recall seeing a picture of twins sharing a sweater, I was shocked because they looked so similar, and I was too stupid that I thought they were in one body with two heads, I still remember how excited I was and how I told my friends at school that my dad have a picture of a man with two heads, as I grew up I understood they were sharing a sweater not body just for fun . Now after becoming a medical student, and knowing that there could be people with two heads “conjoined twins”, i felt relief that at least what I said in third grade was not complete nonsense. This topic was thought generating topic, hence I decided to approach this topic generally and then go deep in ethical, religious and psychological aspects. …show more content…
They are one of the rare and interesting embryological malformations. However, there is other theory illustrate that the fertilized ovum split into two embryos and then fuse at early stages of embryonic periods. After all, the more accepted theory is fission (Huang, 2009). According to Maryland university The occurrence of this phenomenon is once every 200,000 live births, for some reason female conjoined twins seems to be more common than males 70% (University of Maryland, n.d), and that make you wonder if that because it affect females more than males or because females have better shot in surviving. Conjoined twins are basically classified by the point at which their body failed to separate, the most common types are thoracopagus, omphalopagus, parasitic twins and craniopagus. Thoraco-omphalopagus have the highest prevalence of all, accounting for 74% of all cases (Kamal ,
Twins are truly fascinating from the time of separation of the embryo to birth; and still the complexity of twinning is not yet fully understood among the scientific world. Scientists have studied the human body from the time of prenatal development to birth, and still are in awe of the formation of twins. Research in twinning is ever more increasing in this field, leadi...
During ovulation, when a woman releases an ovum, three different processes can occur. First, the ovum can remain in one piece all the way to the uterus where, if not fertilized, it will be shed out of the body along with the unused endometrium. Second, the ovum, if fertilized, can develop into a single embryo, which is the most common type of pregnancy in humans with about 99% of all births being singletons (1). Finally, the ovum can split into two separate halves resulting in genetically identical twins. The three types of twins previously mentioned are identical, which are created when the fertilized ovum separates into two complete, identical parts, conjoined, which occur as a result of a fertilized ovum not completing the equal separation resulting in two fetuses fused together in some way, and half-twins or polar body twins, which are made when an unfertilized ovum splits into two complete, identical parts and is then fertilized by two different sperm. The frequency of identical twins is 3.5 per 100 births (1) and the frequency of conjoined twins is 1 birth per 50,000 with only 100 known cases surviving their first year (5).
All over the world, there are many different medical cases discovered. There are very rare ones and some common ones as well, we often see them everyday or on television shows. An example of one of these cases would be the Hensel twins,they are conjoined twins.Conjoined twins are very rare, that occur once in every 200,000 live births.Which means that most people in their lifetime will never get a chance to meet conjoined twins. Many people question how to categorize conjoined twins, most just categorize them as humans. A human is just continuity of life to be the same human,while a person is rational, moral and agent. John Locke puts the twins in thought when speaking of the Day-Man and Night- Man, a man with one body with
What is normal and who defines it? Is it necessary to have conjoined twins separated? People with ambiguous anatomy frustrate us. We don't know what to expect from them or where they fit in. As a result, we seek to normalize them or regard them as freaks. Most families cannot accept a child with ambiguous genitalia or mixed reproductive organs. Families express disgust at going home with an "it." Furthermore, most children are not informed about their problems at birth with ambiguous genitalia, if they are
In telophase, these separate chromatids uncoil to become chromosomes. This division produces two identical cells.
...reversals that question the validity of that assumption. She believes that it is more important to recognize the fact that twins and other multiplies try to find ways to distinguish themselves from each other (p. 124).
As I walk through the crowded mall with my sister, little children stare, most adults do a discreet double take, and some bold adults question us outright. “Wow, are you twins?” “Do you know you look the same?” “What’s it like to be a twin?” “Do you have, like, psychic powers, or something with each other?” These are the most common questions twins hear. Almost all twins don’t really mind them and sometimes the attention is cool. Mostly, we just smile tolerantly at each other and answer them as best we can. After all, we don’t really know how to describe being a twin. We have never known anything else. Nonetheless, here we are. So, as a person who might not know exactly what she is talking about, I will try to briefly explanation to the general public the experience of being a genetic quirk.
Milo and Maggie Dean fulfill the criteria for major depressive disorder. The twin’s depression is heavily influenced biologically as well as psychologically. Some causal factors and influences include genetics, stress from parent’s suicide, lack of support, failure in career, and higher-risk sexual activity, (Butcher, Mineka, & Hooley, 2014). The movie makes evident that the main characters have struggled from this disorder ever since childhood. Evaluating back to Maggie and Milo’s stressful event that formed dysfunctional beliefs clarifies the possible causes to major depression.
In the article “ These monkey twins are the first primate clones made by the method that developed Dolly”. By Dennis Normile, Chinese Academy of Sciences. The author is not a scientist, but the people who he interviews are. The technique that scientists Qiang Sun and Mu-Ming Poo, is the same technique that was used to clone the world's first cloned mammal a sheep named Dolly. Using the Method (SCNT) also known as Somatic Cell Nuclear Transfer. The reachers also have adapted several new techniques, which they said lead to their success.
I remember that at an early age that I was never alone, whether the reminder comes from family or strangers, I have always had a constant reminder that helped me to feel safe in the world, but in other people’s eyes, I am not an individual but I am only a half of a whole. When I was little there was a time when I didn’t know that being a twin, an identical twin at that, would hinder my growth as an individual. According to Burke, when asked what makes you unique her reply was “I don’t know”, followed with “because I have a twin.” When asked to elaborate as to why she doesn’t know, her response was “we’re compared and seen as the same person even though in some ways i’m different from her, like the fact that I was born with my own brain and
caused by a blunder in the process of cell division during the formation of the reproductive cells
“Are you guys twins?” “Is your name Jocelyn or Giselle?” “How do I tell you apart?” These are the questions I hear in my everyday life. People find twins very interesting and wonder how it is being a twin. Few people have the opportunity to experience such a close bond with another individual. Luckily, I have the opportunity to experience it. From the day of conception, we have been side by side ever since. Although, it is a blessing to have someone that will always be by your side it is difficult to make an identity for yourself when everyone considers twins to be a whole and have everything in common.
In the book The Third Twin by Ken Follet a number of ethical issues arise throughout all of the thrills and plot twists that occur. The main ethical issue that arises in the novel is that of human cloning. In the book the female protagonist, Jean Ferrami, begins to unravel a series of mysteries where a corporation known as "Genetico" had invitro fertilized eight identical zygotes and inserted them into eight different mothers within a close period of time. This happened in the early 1970's and had been kept a secret until now. In order to better understand the ethical issues of cloning you must examine the Catholic Church's view on it and the attitude that the general society feels towards it.
Identical Twins or monozygotic twin is defined as one fertilized egg that splits into two embryos; Therefore, sharing 100% of their genetic material. Twins can be born either identical or fraternal. Identical twins have been known to have many similarities including, DNA, Physical traits, habits, and psychological similarities. With having similarities twins have also been known to have just as many differences, some would include how they were brought up and what kind of environment they were brought up in or Nature VS. Nurture. Epigenetic differences to include inherited genes such as schizophrenia or autism. When having twins you are at a higher risk for birth or development complications lower birth weight for the twins or the twins at risk for prematurity. Twin to Twin Transfusion syndrome which is a disease of the placenta, also the twins are at risk of being conjoined which they will be connected to each other.
Conjoined twins, more commonly known as Siamese twins because of Chang and Eng Bunker, are considered extremely rare among populations. According to the University of Maryland Medical Center, births of conjoined twins occur only once out of every 200, 000 births. Twins become conjoined when an embryo starts to divide but fails to complete the process. While the twins become a single entity, they are considered separate individuals. However, most conjoined twins do not survive after birth and when they do they tend to have problems with malformed organs that are shared. The research by the University of Maryland Medical Center concludes that the overall survival rate of these conjoined twins is somewhere between 5 and 25 percent. With that being said, conjoined twins are often viewed as curiosities and a rare occurrence in our society in general.