The true story of the man with two faces (Parasitic Twins)

The human body is a biological marvel. But sometimes, its complexity can make things go horribly wrong.

One such condition is called craniopagus parasiticus and it occurs in the womb when the head of a parasitic twin with an undeveloped body attaches itself to the head of a developed twin. Cases are rare (about 5 in 10,000,000) and most infants are stillborn or die shortly after birth.

One of the most famous instances of people with parasitic twin faces is that of Edward Mordrake. The true story of the man with two faces has been lost through time but the details that survived are truly disturbing.

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Born an heir to a noble family in England, Mordrake was said to be a pleasant and intelligent man. They say he was also good-looking when viewed from the front. But on the back of his head he had another face and this one was deformed and wicked.

People – including Mordrake himself – claimed that this second face was demonic in nature and possessed its own intelligence. Its eyes reportedly followed people while its lips would constantly move and although it had no voice, Mordrake swore that his demonic twin’s vile whispers would keep him awake at night.

photo credit; Wax reconstruction of Edward Mordrake’s faces

The story ends with Edward Mordrake committing suicide at the age of twenty-three. He left behind a letter asking that his second face be removed before burial, “lest it continues its dreadful whispers in my grave.”

His account is mentioned in a medical encyclopedia called Anomalies and Curiosities of Medicine but is poor in details.

Another strange case is that of the Two-Headed Boy of Bengal. He was born in the village of Mundul Gait in May 1783 into a poor family of farmers. Terrified, the midwife who delivered the infant threw him in a fire. Although badly burned, he survived and his parents decided he would make exhibit. He became a sideshow attraction in Calcutta, earning his family a hefty sum.

He quickly became famous and attracted visitors from all around India. Rich noblemen would arrange private shows in their own homes, allowing the guests to freely examine the boy.

The boy had one head on top of the other, both similar in size and development to that of a normal child. The second head ended in a stump and its eyes and ears were not fully developed. It also appeared to function separately. When the boy showed emotions like crying or smiling, the second head wouldn’t always match them. When the main head was fed, the second one produced saliva and would attempt to suckle if was given the opportunity.

Also, the heads had different sleep cycles; when the boy was asleep, the secondary head would often stay awake.

Even though the Two-Headed Boy of Bengal received a lot of attention, none of it was medical. He died at the age of four after being bitten by a cobra. His body was exhumed by an agent of the East India Company and his skull was brought back to England. A dissection revealed the boy’s heads had separate brains, each one properly developed.

His skull is on exhibit at the Hunterian Museum of the Royal College of Surgeons of London.

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In more recent years, the case of Chang Tzu Ping stood out. He became famous in the 1980s after traveling from a tiny Chinese village to the U.S. to have his ‘devil face’ removed. Ping had an extra mouth complete with teeth, traces of scalp and undeveloped eyes, ears and nose. The surgery was a success and Ping lived the rest of his life in his native village.

Here’s a short video of him in case you haven’t seen something disturbing today:

via Locklip