THE "TWO-HEADED NIGHTINGALE."

Clutha Leader, Volume IV, Issue 207, 28 June 1878, Page 3

THE "TWO-HEADED NIGHTINGALE."

Miss Christine Millie, the "Twoheaded Nightingale," is not inaptly termed the " eighth wonder of the world." She hath two heads, four arms, and four leg 3, which converge io one body, presenting a most extraordinary appearance. However, there is nothing at all repulsive in the spectacle ; indeed the onlooker is very favourably impressed by the intelligence, vivacity, and grace which characterises her preformances. She walks on either two; or four feet at will ; dances with ease, and sings duets in a very beautiful and effective style, one voice taking the treble, and . the other the contralto. Great attention has been bestowed j upon' her education, and she speaks?-! with fluency several languages— a fact^

which the audience have an opportunity - f verifying, as she moves freely among tbe auditors and enters into conversation with any one who may wish to test her intelligence and acquirements. Christine Millie is a native of North Carolina, United States, where she was born in 1852. A number of gentlemen connected with Jefferson Medico-Gol-legf*?, in tbe city of Philadelphia, amongst whom were Drs Pancoast, Meigs, Bidde, Wallace, and Dickson, all well-known in the medical scientific world, made a careful examination, of which the following is the report (concurred in by Sir James Paget, Sir Wm. Ferguson, Sir Wm. Jenner, Ov Gull, Sir Charles Locock, Owen, M'Pherson, Rees, and numerous others of medical eminence in '" Lancet," of May, 1S71) :

At a special clinic held at the Jefferson Medical College, "Christine Millie" was submitted to a scientific anatomical examination. „ Assembled at the clinic we found Professors Pancoast, Ormsby, Rand, and Gross, and Drs Meig,*W. H. Pancoast, Gardette, Reay, Turnbull, Atkinson, Barson, Bache, Dickson, Cohen, Atlee, Andrews, and others well-known to snrgical fame, The double-headed girl was introduced by Dr W. H. Pancoast, the demonstrator of anatomy at the College, and a general feeling of astonishment was felt when it was discovered that instead of a monstrosity there was exhibited to the professional talent asssembled a well educated, intelligent, quickwitted girl, with nothing about her that was repulsive or calculated to offend the most fastidious, but which at once stamped her as a-wonder and a source of scientific information to those learned in anatomy, Dr Pancoast stated that the body had bean placed under his pi-bfes-sional care, and owing to the important questions involved a private examination had been made by Professors Pancoast and Gross and Drs Sevie and Andrews, which had verified all the opinions expressed as to her duality. It was then stated that this remarkable freak ot nature was united at the lateral posterior portion of the pelvis, while above that point they were separated — had separate chests, two pairs of fully developed arms, but only one trunk. The double-headed possessed several intellectual faculties as entirely distinct as was the brain power of two different individuals, while the faceo indicated largely a degree of intelligence of a high order and amiability. As to the young lady herself — for we have surgical authority for saying so — she has bodily only one person, though possessed of two heads, two pairs of shoulders, four arms, and two pairs of legs, amalgamated curiously with trunk. The question which naturally arises, and which it seems difficult to solve, is whether this is one being, or whether, in some extraordinary manner, two persons have thus marvellously been joined together. A very careful anatomical examination, made by the Professors at Jefferson Medical College, America, has led to the discovery that the lungs, heart, and functions, of digestion are those of two persons apparently perfect and healthy in each, but that the whole of the lower organization of the body is that of one with the exception of the four legs. The examination by Dr Bliss and Dr Borland was most satisfactory and revealed the fact that the representations made by the young lady's are entirely correct, the girl being out of one body with two heads, four arms, four feet, two sets of lungs, two hearts, but only one physical organization. The doctors express themselves entirely satisfied that the young lady is the most wonderful human being on the face of the earth.