(no subject)
Progress Report
Siamese or Conjoined twins, born with their bodies physically linked, have intrigued people for centuries. Although the few pairs who have survived unseparated into adulthood can describe their experience, it's impossible to imagine what it is like to have such an intimately shared existence, joined to another human being 24 hours a day. As surgical techniques improve, more of these rare children can be separated, although the operation always carries risks, and sometimes means the death of one or even both. Deciding to separate means making ethical and moral judgements that question many of society's basic assumptions about individuality, the need for privacy, and whether we have the right to rob one individual of life in order that another, stronger, person may live. Whatever their situation, conjoined twins are extraordinary and memorable, and we can only marvel at the co-operation and compromise that underpins their daily lives. In Joined we see them, not as freaks, but as real, unforgettable people, caught up in a rare and remarkable physical phenomenon that the rest of us can barely imagine. As well as covering the history, biology and ethics of conjoined twins and their separation, this site includes details of websites and organisations that can provide further information on the subject.
Siamese or Conjoined twins, born with their bodies physically linked, have intrigued people for centuries. Although the few pairs who have survived unseparated into adulthood can describe their experience, it's impossible to imagine what it is like to have such an intimately shared existence, joined to another human being 24 hours a day. As surgical techniques improve, more of these rare children can be separated, although the operation always carries risks, and sometimes means the death of one or even both. Deciding to separate means making ethical and moral judgements that question many of society's basic assumptions about individuality, the need for privacy, and whether we have the right to rob one individual of life in order that another, stronger, person may live. Whatever their situation, conjoined twins are extraordinary and memorable, and we can only marvel at the co-operation and compromise that underpins their daily lives. In Joined we see them, not as freaks, but as real, unforgettable people, caught up in a rare and remarkable physical phenomenon that the rest of us can barely imagine. As well as covering the history, biology and ethics of conjoined twins and their separation, this site includes details of websites and organisations that can provide further information on the subject.