Bates Alan W
Department of Morbid Anatomy, The Royal London Hospital, London, UK.
Twin Res. 2002 Dec;5(6):521-8. doi: 10.1375/136905202762341982.
The major morphological types of conjoined twins had all been described by 1600, often in publications that included details of the time and place of birth, morphology, outcome, behaviour, and, on occasion, autopsy findings. These descriptions differ from modern reports in emphasizing the twins' supposed "meaning" rather than their cause. Understanding the symbolic aspects of these accounts is important for their interpretation. This article summarizes the records of 53 cases of conjoined twins born in 16th-century Europe and examines the cultural background of these accounts and the use of the pediatric autopsy as a means of investigating the pathology of twins. Studies of conjoined twins were central to the debate over whether the possession of separate hearts was a prerequisite for individuality.
连体双胞胎的主要形态类型在1600年之前就已全部被描述，通常出现在一些出版物中，这些出版物包含了出生时间和地点、形态、结局、行为等细节，偶尔还包括尸检结果。这些描述与现代报告的不同之处在于，它们更强调双胞胎所谓的“意义”而非其成因。理解这些记载的象征意义对于解读它们很重要。本文总结了16世纪欧洲出生的53例连体双胞胎的记录，并考察了这些记载的文化背景以及小儿尸检作为研究双胞胎病理手段的应用。连体双胞胎的研究是关于拥有独立心脏是否是个体性先决条件这一争论的核心。
