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Conjoined and Parasitic Twins

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Pediatric Surgery

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Abstract

The birth of conjoined twins has always fascinated mankind, with the public’s view of malformed children greatly influenced by the prevailing culture and religious beliefs. In prehistoric times, conjoined twins were depicted in cave drawings, on pottery, or as figurines. In folklore, they were often regarded as an omen of impending disaster, eliciting strong emotions ranging from wonder and admiration to rejection and hostility. Although malformed children were treated compassionately at times, historical records show that infanticide was frequently practiced and the mother was often held responsible for causing the malformation.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Emeritus Professor of Pediatric Surgery, University of Cape Town and Red Cross War Memorial Children’s Hospital, Cape Town, South Africa

    Alastair J. W. Millar

Authors
  1. Alastair J. W. Millar
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Alastair J. W. Millar .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Division of Pediatric Surgery, Department of Surgery, National Hospital, Abuja, Nigeria

    Emmanuel A. Ameh

  2. Professor of Surgery & Pediatrics, Rady Children’s Hospital, University of California San Diego, San Diego, CA, USA

    Stephen W. Bickler

  3. Department of Pediatric Surgery, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK

    Kokila Lakhoo

  4. Department of Pediatric Surgery, Nationwide Children’s Hospital, and Department of Surgery, Ohio State University, Colombus, OH, USA

    Benedict C. Nwomeh

  5. Department of Pediatric Surgery, Montreal Children’s Hospital, Montreal, QC, Canada

    Dan Poenaru

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Millar, A.J.W. (2020). Conjoined and Parasitic Twins. In: Ameh, E.A., Bickler, S.W., Lakhoo, K., Nwomeh, B.C., Poenaru, D. (eds) Pediatric Surgery. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-41724-6_126

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-41724-6_126

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-030-41723-9

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-030-41724-6

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