Speech: Conjoined Twins

I would usually read books like this, but I would like to mention how interesting it was while reading. One of Us has valuable information and stories of conjoined twins, not only in the United States but all around the world. I found it interesting how the author uses medical term and quantitative data to identify the different types of twin and how many are there. I did not know there were so many different types of conjoined twin, and where they are attached or infused. Alice Dreger purpose of this book is analyzing case studies both past and present, along with questions and assumptions about anatomy and normality, and transforms our understanding of how we are all intricately and inextricably joined. She also explored the separation surgery on conjoined twins. Providing historical and contemporary evidence that most adults conjoined twins do not desire to be separated, and that many operations are carried out on children too young, by individualizing them at all cost which may result in a tragic event.

My sister and I, 28 minutes apart, are fraternal twins. Twins have a very special and unique bond. However, being a twin isn’t just rainbows and sunshine, it’s much more complex than that. It’s the feeling of constant comparison in every aspect of our lives. We were never invited to do activities as individuals, it was both of us, or none at all. I can tell you about the time I was 4 years old and I cut my sisters hair off so my parents would pay attention more to me, or at our 5th grade dance recital when everyone complimented her on her smile and I cried because they didn’t compliment me.

There are a number of possible types of these births. These include thoracopagus, the most common, affecting 35% of all conjoined twin births, where the chest wall is shared, and often the heart. Pygopagus is another type, occurring in 19% of all cases, where the twins are joined at the buttocks. Two significantly less occurring patterns are ischiopagus, 6%, connected at the tailbone, and craniopagus, 2%, with a fused skull. Some other commonly occuring types include cephalopagus, with the upper torso and back of the cranium fused, and dicephalus, having two heads and necks connected to one body. Cephalopagus and craniopagus twins are rarely operated on, because the brain is such a delicate organ on which to operate, especially when shared brain tissue is involved. Other types include parapagus, a lateral fusion of the lower half of the body, and omphalopagus, joined frontally at the midsection. Finally there is parasitic twinning, where one twin is dependant upon the other for life, and often one is misformed, lacking organs or fully formed parts (www.twinstuff.com).

The biography Identical Strangers by Elyse Schein and Paula Bernstein is about twins that got separated at birth, and now are finding out there is another person in the world with their exact DNA. They were part of a study on separated twins. It was to see in nature versus nurture which one has more of an impact. (31-32) Identical twins were easiest to study because of their identical DNA. Scientists working on the study placed both girls in a family in which are very similar; therefore, they both have a brother that is a couple years older than them. They find out about the other twin, and Paula is having their

A con that happens often with twins is appearance. Whether identical or not, somehow people always state that they look the same. There is no individualism. One would say that it would be cool to have someone that looks like you, but it’s the total opposite. We often pick clothing to represent our personality, or to break away from the crowd. Clothing for

Monozygotic twins: Monozygotic twins are also known as identical twins. These twins start their life as one egg which is fertilized by one sperm and latter splits into two eggs much earlier in the gestational period. These are very rare and have no link to heredity. But studies reveal that only one of four conceptions of twins is identical. Therefore, it seems likely that any differences between twins will have to be caused by environment rather than by genetics.

1. What are identical twins? What explains any differences they may develop? Identical twins are twins that develop from the same fertilized egg. Differences in their environment are what explains any differences they may develop.

There are many stories of identical twins who were adopted at birth who meet up late in life and discover they share remarkably similar life stories. A study in 1990 found that genetics account for 50 percent of how religious a twin was likely to be. There is also a genetic influence on dental or gum health. Among identical twins, most reported feeling closer and more familiar with their twin than they did to their best friends, even after just meeting them after spending so many years apart.

Twins, share a bond that no parent, child or sibling relationship can ever compare. There are two main types of twins, and these include: monozygotic (identical) twins and dizygotic (fraternal) twins, and they are compared by their emotional, behavioural, and cognitive similarities. (Robert Plomin, 1997). According to Social Issues Referencing, 2007, whereas Identical twins are formed from a single (mono) zygote and are genetic “carbon copies”, fraternal twins develop from two (di) separate zygotes, as a result of two eggs being fertilized by two sperms independently. (Social Issues Referencing, 2007, para. 8)

Currently a study like it would not be allowed today because many people would disagree to use identical twins for a study because it might affect them. It is going to be hard for the researcher’s to explain to people right now about a study like it. Instead it will be better for the twins to be adopted by the same family or have them be placed in similar environments so they will not feel different from each

Most twins didn't survive the experiments. In fact, out of the 3,000 twins that were captured, less than 200 escaped. The twins that survived were often separated, unless extremely lucky.

What would it be like to have a twin? This is a question people often ponder. People often say that they see someone that resembles someone they already know. It is almost like dejavu. "Twin" comes from the German word "twine" meaning "two together" (Nagy 1). Most people automatically think of two people who look just alike when they hear the word "twin". However, there is a lot more to twins than just looking alike. Twins are the most common type of multiple births. Many think there are only two types of twins, identical and fraternal; they often leave out conjoined twins. Twins are very unique and fascinating individuals because of their similarities biologically, physically, and psychologically.

Throughout history, across all cultures, people have been fascinated with twins. In addition to interest in the close emotional ties and biological similarities that twins may share, reports of special twin languages and twin extrasensory perception (ESP) help people to explore ideas of what it means to be human. How similar or different are they to each other? How important are genes and environment for development? Because identical twins share all of their genes, it is the environment—rather than genetics—that accounts for any differences between them.

There are two types of twins. One type of twins, called identical twins, is exact clones of each other. They share the same DNA and were made from a single split egg. More research as been done regarding these types of twins as they are the more remarkable kind. Since they are a genetic match, nature plays the

For years I have been fascinated by that mysterious quirk of nature called twins. In my family, there are several sets of identical twins, and I have always concentrated on their similarities. I did not realize that identical twins also have many differences. My identical twin cousins, Sue and Heidi, appear to be perfect mirror images. They love to dress alike. They can feel each other's pain. They sound alike and can complete each other's sentences. But upon taking a closer look, I have found that they are as different as day and night. Aside from Sue and Heidi's outward characteristics, they possess several distinguishing traits that allow them to be viewed as two separate, independent