Dicephalic parapagus twins

Dicephalus means two-headed. • tetrabrachius, if they have four arms altogether, • dipus, if they have two legs altogether (one for each twin). ==Incidence==

Conjoined twins appear in one in 50,000 to one in 100,000 births. ==Medical and social response==

As late as the 1960s, some medical publications argued that newborn dicephalic twins should not be actively treated or resuscitated. An attempt at surgical separation was reported in a paper published in 1982, but did not result in long-term survival of either twin. In more recent cases in Turkey and Minnesota, doctors advised that separation surgery would not be appropriate. ==Dicephalic twins who survived past infancy==

Giacomo and Giovanni Battista Tocci (1877–1894), were Italian male dicephalus parapagus twins who survived to adulthood. Each had his own pair of arms, so they were tetrabrachius. They were exhibited in freak shows as children and teenagers. The Toccis learned to speak several languages, but never learned to walk. They were born with two functional arms, plus a vestigial third arm, which was surgically removed, and completed courses at college. They earned their teaching licenses and now teach in the fifth grade. Ayşe and Sema Tanrıkulu, born in 2000, are Turkish female dicephalus parapagus twins. Because of the size of their upper body, the Turkish twins needed a special program of exercises before they could learn to walk. As of 2019, they are pursuing higher education. ==See also==