Two-headed baby born in Bangladesh

[mr friendly guy]

linky

August 28, 2008 - 9:49AM

A baby boy born with two heads in south-western Bangladesh has been placed under police protection because of the curiosity his birth has caused among residents, a doctor said on Wednesday.

The boy, named Kiron, was born by caesarean section in Keshobpur, 135 kilometres from Dhaka, on Monday, gynaecologist Mohamad Abdul Bari said. He weighed 5.5 kilograms.

"He has one stomach and he is eating normally with his two mouths. He has one genital organ and a full set of limbs," he said.

"He was born from one embryo but there was a developmental anomaly."

The clinic had been unable to determine whether the baby had one or two sets of vital organs, Dr Bari said.

The baby's life was not in immediate danger but he and his mother, 22, had been moved to a larger hospital in nearby Jessore city because large crowds had gathered at the clinic, he said.

"Around 150,000 people gathered yesterday from different areas. It became tough for us to care for the baby.

"We called police to tackle the situation and they are guarding the hospital in Jessore as well," he said.

The daily newspaper Samakal said many well-wishers had left money for the baby's family.

AFP

[DesertFly]

There's only one thing to do!

Teach him Demon Magic.

[ArmorPierce]

If there are two heads then it would be two individuals. Why are they calling it as if it was one person instead of giving two names?

[Zixinus]

Why is the police asked to protect the child? Why are there crowds gathering around it?

[Zablorg]

Why is the police asked to protect the child? Why are there crowds gathering around it?

Because it happens to have two heads. That's somewhat of a novelty occurance for most people.

[cosmicalstorm]

Why is the police asked to protect the child? Why are there crowds gathering around it?

Because Bangladesh is a third world shithole, the crowd would probably burn the baby for being the spawn of satan.

[salm]

Why is the police asked to protect the child? Why are there crowds gathering around it?

Because Bangladesh is a third world shithole, the crowd would probably burn the baby for being the spawn of satan.

Of course, just ask Shroom, he´s from a third world country and he has skinned and salted baby every day for breakfast.

[[R_H]]

Why is the police asked to protect the child? Why are there crowds gathering around it?

Because Bangladesh is a third world shithole, the crowd would probably burn the baby for being the spawn of satan.

Uhh, some of them maybe.

The daily newspaper Samakal said many well-wishers had left money for the baby's family.

But others wouldn't.

[salm]

It´s dead, by the way. The family was too poor to take the kid to a better hospital in Dhaka so it died of fever and breathing broblems.

[RedImperator]

Why is the police asked to protect the child? Why are there crowds gathering around it?

Because Bangladesh is a third world shithole, the crowd would probably burn the baby for being the spawn of satan.

HURF HURF HURF, THOSE WAKY BROWN PEEPLE!

Seriously.

[The Spartan]

Did anyone click the link to see the picture?

It's cute, heartbreaking and, frankly, unsettling all at once.

[Broomstick]

Yeah, two-headed people are a little strange, but they're people, too. The sad thing is the two Bangladeshi boys, had they been born in more fortunate circumstances, might have grown up healthy and happy as these twins did:



By the way, the Hensel girls are adamant that they are two people who are conjoined, not a "two-headed girl" (singular). So, I'd be inclined to treat other such twins as two people rather than one.

[Twoyboy]

If there are two heads then it would be two individuals. Why are they calling it as if it was one person instead of giving two names?

It was reported later that it is only one child with an abnormality which caused 2 heads. However, given that at the clinic they couldn't even determine if he had 2 sets of organs or 1, I'm not sure how accurate this is.

[Broomstick]

One body but two brains means two individuals. Sure, it's a developmental anomaly - ALL identical twins are a developmental anomaly, conjoined or not. Most "two headed babies" die at or shortly after birth, but those that have survived have had a distinct personality for each head provided there is normal brain development for both. I'll take the word of people like Abby and Brittany Hensel who live with the issue every day over that of a freaked-out clinic staffer (doctor or not) in a third-world backwater.

[Shroom Man 777]

Why is the police asked to protect the child? Why are there crowds gathering around it?

Because Bangladesh is a third world shithole, the crowd would probably burn the baby for being the spawn of satan.

Of course, just ask Shroom, he´s from a third world country and he has skinned and salted baby every day for breakfast.

Well, it's either that or - knowing some of the weirdness of India/Bangladesh - the baby might be venerated as a deity or soemthing. I mean, wasn't there a stillborn that looked like a Deep One that got paraded around in some remote corner of Asia? Or was that an urban myth?

Also, people would flock to take pictures to post on the internet

Also, a two headed baby. Holy crap. That's gonna have all sorts of medical issues. How many hearts does it have? How can a single heart pump blood to two heads? Moving it to a bigger, better supplied and better staffed medical facility would make sense if there are complications that a TINY clinic cannot handle.

A tiny clinic would also get crowded by those annoying onlookers, and then the staff would have trouble doing their jobs.


Holy crap! I never KNEW there were two-headed people (as in one body, with two heads, and no other extra stuff) that developed to adulthood. I mean, with those recent conjoined-at-the-head babies and the complications they had with the separation surgeries, you'd think that a two-headed person would be totally medically screwed. But Broomstick's posted a picture of an apparently healthy two-headed person.

I just went on the wiki and:

Each of the twins manages one side of their conjoined body and they are uncannily ambidextrous and coordinated in both their arms and legs when both hands or both legs are required. By coordinating their efforts, they are able to walk, run and ride a bicycle normally — all tasks that they learned at a normal speed. They each write with their corresponding hand. They can together type on a computer keyboard at a normal speed. Their sense of touch is partitioned each to their own body half which shades off at the midsagittal plane such that there is a small amount of overlap at their midline. They enjoy hobbies and sports including volleyball, kickball, swimming, basketball, and cycling. They also play the piano and are avid computer users. They enjoy softball, digital photography, the internet, social networking, and talking on the telephone. When they go to the cinema, they pay for two tickets.

Holy crap. I wonder how their nervous system works! And the rest of the article says that they have two hearts and four lungs, like a Space Marine.

But, seriously. With two heads with two separate persons in their brains, you'd think that coordinating movement would be nigh impossible. But... they manage to do it just fine!

They have TWO spinal cords, with ribs bridging the gap BETWEEN both cords! That is... woah. And apparently, the Hensel twins are lucky in that they don't have any detected congenital defects. What a lucky bunch of...

They're a totally strange sample, and yet they seem perfectly functional! That's... well, thank GOD that's not in any of my textbooks.



Okay. I just saw the post that said that the Bangladeshi baby died. Well, that sucks. Total bummer.

[Broomstick]

Also, a two headed baby. Holy crap. That's gonna have all sorts of medical issues. How many hearts does it have? How can a single heart pump blood to two heads? Moving it to a bigger, better supplied and better staffed medical facility would make sense if there are complications that a TINY clinic cannot handle.

Yes, precisely. The anatomy is never normal in these cases, although with modern medical care anomalies that were once fatal may be viable with a little assistance.

In the case of the Hensel twins, they have been remarkably fortunate but they were also assessed by some very high powered medical minds as infants. There are twins less conjoined but far more a medical mess.

Holy crap! I never KNEW there were two-headed people (as in one body, with two heads, and no other extra stuff) that developed to adulthood. I mean, with those recent conjoined-at-the-head babies and the complications they had with the separation surgeries, you'd think that a two-headed person would be totally medically screwed. But Broomstick's posted a picture of an apparently healthy two-headed person.

Yep, the girls are healthy. There is also some historical evidence of a similar pair of twins in Europe who survived into adulthood during the medieval period, but needless to say the details are very sketchy. It is a rare form of conjoined twins, and rarer still that they survived past infancy. Given their health, though, there is every reason to assume they'll live a normal lifespan - assuming nothing untoward happens to either of them. There was never a serious question of separating these two, even if it were possible it would lead to an enormous reduction in quality of life. If one dies due to accident they both die.

Holy crap. I wonder how their nervous system works!

You aren't the only one.

But, seriously. With two heads with two separate persons in their brains, you'd think that coordinating movement would be nigh impossible. But... they manage to do it just fine!

Do they have a choice?

Actually, there have been conjoined twins sharing a lower body who never did learn to coordinate sufficiently to walk, which is why it was sort of assumed these two wouldn't. The girls are a mystery in many ways, although everyone concerned is very happy they are doing so very well.

And apparently, the Hensel twins are lucky in that they don't have any detected congenital defects. What a lucky bunch of...

Well, a third arm and they did need some surgery to deal with scoliosis... but pretty minor in the larger scope of things, yes.

They're a totally strange sample, and yet they seem perfectly functional!

Quite.

They both got separate driver's licenses at 16, though obviously driving at all requires cooperation. Legally, they are treated as separate individuals, having separate ID through obviously the fact of being conjoined occasionally requires acknowledgment they do, in fact, share one body. They're 18 this year, presumably they'll be off to college soon (if not already), voting in this year's election (assuming they've registered), and otherwise having as normal a life as possible. I'll be interested in seeing where they go in life, as they seen quite determined to not be a sideshow attraction.

Okay. I just saw the post that said that the Bangladeshi baby died. Well, that sucks. Total bummer.

Yes. I have to wonder if there was some neglect involved. Conjoined children have had a bad history of dying as infants, frequently as a result of either being exhibited too much, to the point their basic needs were neglected, or because freaked-out adults did not provide the care and attention they needed.

Again, the Hensels have been extremely fortunate. After their parents got over the initial shock they determined their daughters would be cared for, protected from harmful attention, and be given as normal a life as possible. The community they grew up in has been supportive and willing to work out whatever issues arise from their uniqueness (there were issues with test taking, as an example) The documentaries are quite informative and I'd suggest taking a look because you do get the sense that in many ways these are two ordinary teenage girls/young women and they clearly are two individuals with their own likes/dislikes and separate opinions.

[Azazal]

Well, it's either that or - knowing some of the weirdness of India/Bangladesh - the baby might be venerated as a deity or soemthing. I mean, wasn't there a stillborn that looked like a Deep One that got paraded around in some remote corner of Asia? Or was that an urban myth?

Snopes has an article on that particular child, they label it undetermined, but very plausible

http://snopes.com/photos/medical/nepalbaby.asp

[Shroom Man 777]

There was never a serious question of separating these two, even if it were possible it would lead to an enormous reduction in quality of life. If one dies due to accident they both die.

Separating twins in that condition would be impossible. I just thought that, with all that high fatality rate of head-conjoined twins, that cases like this would (they are) also be really not-good.

But these two-headed cases are really really really rare and those Hensel twins are definitely really lucky. As in, an actual-factual medical miracle.

Do they have a choice?

Actually, there have been conjoined twins sharing a lower body who never did learn to coordinate sufficiently to walk, which is why it was sort of assumed these two wouldn't. The girls are a mystery in many ways, although everyone concerned is very happy they are doing so very well.

The wiki article makes their coordination out to be no different than that of a normal person, so it's really a curiosity. It's a shame that they aren't making themselves available for medical studies - but hey, as long as they're healthy and fine, its all good.

Quite.

They both got separate driver's licenses at 16, though obviously driving at all requires cooperation. Legally, they are treated as separate individuals, having separate ID through obviously the fact of being conjoined occasionally requires acknowledgment they do, in fact, share one body. They're 18 this year, presumably they'll be off to college soon (if not already), voting in this year's election (assuming they've registered), and otherwise having as normal a life as possible. I'll be interested in seeing where they go in life, as they seen quite determined to not be a sideshow attraction.

The article says that they're rather private people. They're certainly an interesting case, but just knowing that they're still alive and around is good enough for me - it's amazing enough as it is.

(You gotta wonder, though, how you'd act if one of your friends or relatives had two heads.)

Yes. I have to wonder if there was some neglect involved. Conjoined children have had a bad history of dying as infants, frequently as a result of either being exhibited too much, to the point their basic needs were neglected, or because freaked-out adults did not provide the care and attention they needed.

Plus lousy parent education, the local infant mortality rate, and whatever congenital defects the kid/s might have since they might've not been as lucky as the Hensel twins, who weren't born with that much defects. I mean, the Bangladeshi baby might've not had an extra arm, but who knows what was going on inside them. It must've been a really lousy situation.

I mean, sure some posters might (did) get heat for calling it a third world shithole, but if it the baby was born and cared in the rurals, or in some other lousy place, then the conditions would be really less than ideal.

I mean:

"Around 150,000 people gathered yesterday from different areas. It became tough for us to care for the baby.

Damn.

[Kanastrous]

Why is the police asked to protect the child? Why are there crowds gathering around it?

Because Bangladesh is a third world shithole, the crowd would probably burn the baby for being the spawn of satan.

Or set him up in a temple and bring him offerings, as the avatar of a deity.

Or with a traveling carnival, as a curiosity.

Had he survived.

[Kanastrous]

*edit*

they, not he.

[Broomstick]

Had he survived.

I'll once again say that this should more properly be said as "Had THEY survived", since, based on other conjoined twins, the result would have been two different individuals, not a single entity, even if they have a LOT in common.

[Shroom Man 777]

Yeah... it's a bit hard to use the proper pronouns. He, she, it... 'they' would be the most appropriate, but I didn't use 'they' in my previous post...

It's probably due to how we recognize people. It's not just the face, or the 'person', but also the body that we recognize. I mean, with other conjoined twins, they've got two bodies that are connected somehow. This one, it's just an extra head.

[CaptainChewbacca]

I can understand why the babies are under police protection. Everything from death threats to nutters trying to carry them off and worship them as some sort of divine being.

And thanks, Broomstick, for posting the picture and info on those girls. I've been interested in their condition for a long time, being a twin myself. I have to admit, I am curious as to how later life and marriage is going to go for those two.

[Sarevok]

I can understand why the babies are under police protection. Everything from death threats to nutters trying to carry them off and worship them as some sort of divine being.

.

Um no. Third world shitholes are not some alternate timeline while rest of world lives in 21st century. The urban parts of Bangladesh at least are not very different from cities elsewhere in better places on Earth except being more polluted with industrial smog, congested with traffic jams and with much more poor peoples than rich. It's a sucky place to live in but hardly something out of Indiana Jones and Temple of Doom. And why would someone worship them since this is a muslim country ?

[Wyrm]

And thanks, Broomstick, for posting the picture and info on those girls. I've been interested in their condition for a long time, being a twin myself. I have to admit, I am curious as to how later life and marriage is going to go for those two.

If they can manage two different college degrees (what if one wants to major in advanced physics but the other wants to be an artist), I'll bet they can work ANYTHING out.