Two-Headed Baby?

[Krieg]

Yes, I believe it was. I think they separated a bit at a time, allowing skull tissue to reform so it wouldn't be such a huge shock to the system.

That was definitely an interesting case. I found it interesting that the surgeon involved felt pretty strongly that a large part of the high mortality rate in separating cojoined twins was directly due to the extreme length of a using single surgery.

 

[Xath]

That was definitely an interesting case. I found it interesting that the surgeon involved felt pretty strongly that a large part of the high mortality rate in separating cojoined twins was directly due to the extreme length of a using single surgery.

I havn't been following his research recently, but it seems that his theories and practices then had a very strong basis. Do you know of any progress since then, or how those theories are holding?

I know the twins made a complete recovery.

 

[Kemrain]

This is a good point. For medical purposes, I am not sure there's much difference between, "You needed head surgery as an infant" and "You had the undeveloped body of your sister hanging off your skull". The former may include all the medical information she needs without the emotional trauma.

In the end, the real answer depends upon the child. Some people cna handle such things without much difficulty. FOr others it might cause some unfortunate issues.

Especially when twenty years down the line some reporter decides to track her down for a follow up story on how her life has turned out.

I'd hate to google my name and find out that when I was an infant I had a second head removed. I'd be furious at my parents for not telling me. I understand that everyone is different, and some people would rather never know, but, if the information is out there, you should know it! That sort of thing could crop up later in life, and for social reasons alone (I'm not even touching the medical implications) the girl should be told. Probably not when she's 6, but by the time she's 18, she should understand the situations as well, if not better than, her parents do; if only so that she can defend herself with knowedge if it comes up somehow. Imagine if everyony execpt you knew about it happening to you!

I'm very glad she survived, and I hope her parents don't sweep this under the rug.

To go with what seems to me to be the logical solution, though, would be to have the other "girl fragment" stored, just in case the living little girl needed something (eyes, stem cells from baby teeth, etc) that could be gotten that way, and only bring it up to her should that happen. When life hands you lemons, make lemonade.....

This would be a good outcome, but, somehow I doubt this will happen. I like to think of myself as capable of cold unfeeling logic, but, this makes even me a little yucked out. Imagine, holding a head in your hands identical to your own as an infant. Useful medically, but wierd as hell.

- Kemrain the "I don't know what," but Something.