Craniopagus parasiticus. Everard Home's Two-Headed Boy of Bengal and some other cases

Abstract

Craniopagus parasiticus, or épicome, is a rare teratological type, of which only six cases have been recorded in the medical literature. It differs from craniopagus conjoined twins in that the body and limbs of the parasitic twin are underdeveloped, leaving in some cases only a parasitic head, inserted on the crown of the autositic twin. The first case of this malformation was Everard Home's famous Twin-Headed Boy of Bengal, whose skull is preserved at the Hunterian Museum. In this historical review, Home's case is presented in some detail, and the later cases are used to explain further some of its particulars.