Baby born with second head to get surgery

[ringmastery]

http://news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story2&cid=589&u=/ap/20040204/ap_on_re_la_am_ca/dominican_two_heads_1&printer=1

SANTO DOMINGO, Dominican Republic - A Dominican infant born with a second head will undergo a risky operation Friday to remove the appendage, which has a partially formed brain, ears, eyes and lips.

..

Rebeca shares blood vessels and arteries with her second head. Although only partially developed, the mouth on her second head moves when Rebeca is being breast-fed. Tests indicate some activity in her second brain.

[curse10]

1. Ewwwww

it's kind of like that episode of South Park where the school nurse had a dead fetus attached to her head.

[Shakespeare]

5. EXACTLY the same thing I thought of!

Conjoined fetus head lady!

eewww...that poor child...

[Az]

2. Just more proof

Life has no interest in being easy to legislate.

[Pithlet]

3. Poor baby.

I hope she makes it through okay. Thankfully she'll never remember any of this. Her parents must be beside themselves with worry.

She has such a cute little face.

[Djinn]

4. what would the fundies have to say

if there is some brain activity? isn't it a person then according to them? - I'm going to google this all arvo now - how does an extra head form but no extra other bits? when we develop we don't do it from the head down do we?

[Pithlet]

6. I wouldn't be surprised

if they had something to say about it. Never mind that the poor girl's brain won't grow and develop properly if left alone. It was probably a heart wrenching decision for the parents. The thought of either of my babies going under the knife fills me with dread.

It is rather fascinating from a medical standpoint. Apparently this is very rare. Only 8 other babies have had this, and they didn't survive birth.

[Djinn]

7. I actually thought it was a mockup

I work in a hospital and my dad's a published doctor so I'm not comepletly hopeless when it comes to medical stuff - but I've never heard of anything like this - hope it goes OK for all

[rocktivity]

10. The second head is totally dependent on the baby.

It is not viable without her, so I don't think the right-to-lifers have a case here.


rocknation

[southerngirlwriter]

11. There IS some brain activity

I've read a tremendous amount about conjoined twins -- that's a weird interest of mine. The second head's mouth moves when Rebecca is being fed, among other things.

I haven't looked up what fundies are saying, because I don't want to know.

This type of conjoinment is called craniopagus parasitic, and it happens when an egg doesn't fully divide. The babies would begin to develop into craniopagus (joined-at-the-head) conjoined twins, but then something happens and one of the babies doesn't develop fully and becomes a parasite on the other.

[ScreamingMeemie]

16. It appears this is what the fundies have to say...check out this

post,

http://news.messages.yahoo.com/bbs?action=m&board=37138459&tid=apdominicantwoheads&sid=37138459&mid=37

Amazing really.

[Pithlet]

20. I knew it.

I don't think they even bothered to research any further, and just jumped to conclusions. Do they even care that the little girl would never fully develop and probably would not live a very long life if the surgery wasn't performed?

[rocktivity]

8. Astounding

Especially since I've seen a couple of TV shows about cojoined twins who are bascially two heads on top one body.


rocknation

[RebelOne]

12. Yes, Oprah had some twins like that on her show a few years

back. They older girls, about 10 or so. Really freaky.

[southerngirlwriter]

14. Those are the Hensel twins

Abigail and Brittany Hensel of Minnesota. They were born in 1990 (God, they're almost 14 now!!) and their poor parents didn't know they were having twins -- much less conjoined twins -- until they were born. They look exactly like a two-headed person. I've read as much as I can find about the family (not much) and the parents seem to handle it really, really well. They have a seamstress modify the upper portion of all the girls' clothing to create two necklines, so they won't look like one person with two heads (any more than they already do, I guess).

Each girl controls just one arm and one leg. They have two hearts, stomachs, gall bladders, spines, etc., but rely together on three lungs and one liver, 3 kidneys, one bladder, and are one person from the waist down.

From the perspective of someone who double-majored in philosophy, it's very interesting food for thought. Suppose that one of them demands to be separated when they're older, despite the fact that each would be left with half a body IF they survived? How essential is privacy to happiness? If they bear a child (there's no physiological reason why they can't), who's the mother and who's the aunt? Should they be allowed to marry, since they essentially share one body?

They run, swim, jog, walk, and play basketball in perfect unison -- no one knows exactly how. They sleep at different times and get different grades in school (although they share textbooks). Their teachers say they don't cheat -- one will get a C on a test that the other gets an A on. (Amazing self-discipline for the less-diligent student, huh?)

(Edited to add more information)

This is a fascinating subject -- I hope anyone who responds will be mature enough that the mods won't lock this thread up. Thanks. :-)

[southerngirlwriter]

17. would someone please post the pictures from this site?

http://members.tripod.com/~midnightwill/twins.html

Those are the Hensel twins.

[rocktivity]

18. Here are the Hensel twins at age 6

"Each of the Hensel twins has her own heart and stomach, but together they rely on three lungs. Their spines join at the pelvis, and below the waist they have the organs of a single person. Each controls the limbs and trunk, and feels sensations, on her side exclusively; if you tickle the ribs on the right, only Abby giggles. Yet the girls manage - no one knows exactly how - to move as one being..."

http://worldinvisible.com/newsltr/yr1997/jan/mary.htm


rocknation

[Pithlet]

19. I watched a show about them on the Discovery Health Chnl

It really was an amazing thing to see. These girls are really incredible. They can do just about anything non conjoined people can do. They even play piano, with each girl controlling their own hand, but playing the chords together. The show was done very tastefully without making it look like a freak show. It showed a full year in their life, including when they had to be hospitalized for surgery to correct their sharply curving spines that are growing away from each other. They both seem to live full and happy lives.

I wonder how they are going to tackle those issues you mentioned as adults.

[Blue-Jay]

9. I wonder what they're going to do with the extra head?

Ebay?

[nuxvomica]

13. If it ran for president, I'd vote for the extra head over Bush

It at least has measurable brain activity.

[Commie Pinko Dirtbag]

15. Worst. Taste. Jokes. EVER.

Only left to decide is which of you two gets 1st prize and which gets 2nd. :puke: