A Medieval Surgery, Illustrated: The First Recorded Surgical Separation of Conjoined TwinsMain MenuIntroductionThe SourceAbout this SourceSupplementsAbout this EditionBibliographyCredits and AcknowledgementsAbout SourceLabKrista Zamora92e74893563e9dd0adc40dd5447478cf4e18eff8Caroline Da Rocha Birnfeld69f0eec2682a65875cfec2d26fd43a557607a39dAndrew Barrios1f64484d01321f5383e04e8bfb84b031edd76e2d
“During that time, from Armenia, a monster came to the imperial city ; two male siblings who were grown together [conjoined twins]. They were conjoined from a single stomach. And they were driven from the city as a sign of evil to come. But they returned during the reign of Constantine [VII Porphyrogennētos, r. 913-959, alone from 945]. When one of the twins died, the more experienced among the surgeons endeavored to cut off the dead portion. They succeeded. The living one only lived for a short time after and then he died.”
**Transcription and translation provided by Jacob Bell, UIUC History PhD Candidate