Anderson T
Vichy House, Canterbury Kent, United Kingdom.
Am J Med Genet. 2002 Apr 22;109(2):155-9. doi: 10.1002/ajmg.10070.
Our knowledge of disease in earlier Britain is largely based on the study of skeletal remains. However, a series of sixteenth century illustrative ballads provides the first proof for conjoined twins from late medieval England. The dearth of archaeological cases may be due to lack of definite skeletal changes or as a result of the remains being denied burial within consecrated ground. Other cases may exist, but documentary evidence is biased to the later medieval period, when such birth defects were recorded solely as a warning against immorality. The famous Biddenden Maids, no doubt, are remembered because of their association with a bequest of land and distribution to the poor.
我们对早期不列颠疾病的了解很大程度上基于对骨骼遗骸的研究。然而，一系列16世纪的叙事歌谣为中世纪晚期英国的连体双胞胎提供了首个证据。考古案例的匮乏可能是由于缺乏明确的骨骼变化，或者是遗骸被拒绝在圣地埋葬所致。其他案例可能存在，但文献证据偏向于中世纪晚期，当时这种出生缺陷仅被记录为对不道德行为的警告。毫无疑问，著名的比登登姐妹被人们铭记，是因为她们与土地遗赠和向穷人分发财物有关。
