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05.02.

1908: Unusual Fate of Siamese Twins Joined for 60 Years

1908: Unusual Fate of Siamese Twins Joined for 60 Years
Photo Credit To http://i.imgur.com/VW7GFtu.jpg

Daisy and Violet Hilton were born with joined hips and were never separated during their lives. They had a series of relationships with men (however hard to imagine), and even a few short marriages.



On this day the famous twins Daisy and Violet Hilton were born. The term “Siamese twins” is used for twins born with joined bodies, and that name originated from Chang and Engu Bunker, brothers which were actually from Siam (now Thailand), and performed in the famous American television show by P.T. Barnum. Today, it is more correct to use the term “conjoined twins” rather than “Siamese twins”.

Daisy and Violet Hilton were born with joined hips and were never separated during their lives (they lived to be 60 years of age). Surgery separating conjoined twins can be performed today, but such procedures were too dangerous before. Daisy and Violet Hilton shared blood circulation but no major organs. They were actually the first conjoined twins recorded in the UK who managed to survive infancy.

Since their mother was a poor and unmarried waitress, the girls were taken in by her boss immediately after birth, who saw in them a potential profit. The boss’s last name was Hilton and the twins actually got their last name after her (their biological mother was named Skinner). She started to show them off on tours as an attraction when they were three. The tours were successful and have even expanded to Germany, USA and distant Australia. All the profits that the girls earned were kept by their boss, her husband and daughter. Girls were trained to perform with music and dancing, especially step-dancing.

Only in their 20’s were the twins able to free themselves from the family that was exploiting them. They continued to make their own money, performing in various plays and shows. They had a series of relationships with men (however hard to imagine), and even a few short marriages. They died in 1969 in USA from a severe case of flu, still with connected bodies, as at birth. They were 60. Daisy was the first to die and Violet survived for another 2-4 days, and then she died as well.




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