What parts of the body does each girl control?

Abby and Brittaney each control one half of the body. This makes daily activities, such as walking, extra challenging. From the very beginning, the girls had to learn to work together—but don’t underestimate them! The two are quite coordinated together—both enjoy playing sports.

What Parts Of The Body Does Each Girl Control

Do the twins control their body in the same way?

No. Each twin has her own special way of moving her part of the body. This is especially apparent from just watching the sisters walk: Abby walks on the flat of her foot, while Britney tends to move on her tiptoes. This, though, also has to do with the fact that Abby’s leg is longer than Brittney’s.

Do The Twins Control Their Body In The Same Way

How do the girls find what to wear?

It’s important to remember that each of the girls has their own taste, personality, and sense of style. A seamstress helps create clothing for the girls that takes into account their uniqueness and split tastes.

How Do The Girls Find What To Wear

Did they ever cheat on a test?

The sisters got most of their education from a private tutor, who would give them the options to work both separately and together. The sisters did hint at cheating here and there, but—well, kids, right?

Did They Ever Cheat On A Test

Did the sisters go to the same university?

The girls both attended Bethel University. While initially they studied different degrees (Britney choosing her passion for mathematics, and Abby opting for her love of writing), the sisters eventually decided to unite in their shared love for education. They hope to one day teach math in grade school.

Did The Sisters Go To The Same University

How do things like the common cold affect the sisters?

It would be easy to assume that since the girls are in such close proximity to one another, one is bound to get sick along with the other one. Interestingly, though, this isn’t always the case. If one sister gets a stomach bug, the other one can easily not feel symptoms at all. Same with flues and colds: Brittany tends to get lots of colds and even had pneumonia twice. Abby? Not so much.

How Do Things Like The Common Cold Affect The Sisters

Do the girls share hobbies?

As we mentioned before—the sisters are super coordinated! As such, sharing hobbies and activities is no problem for them. They even play the piano—with Abby taking the right hand and Brittany complementing her with the left hand. Doctors continue to be astounded by how beautifully they play.

Do The Girls Share Hobbies

What are the girls doing today?

Today, Abby and Brittaney are working as fifth-grade teachers for a single classroom. It’s more beneficial than challenging, as you have two teachers helping a single set of students. No use trying to cheat in that classroom—while one teacher writes, the other one makes sure kids are paying attention.

What Are The Girls Doing Today

Since the girls are conjoined, are they completely identical?

The sisters are totally different individuals, even when it comes to their physical stature! Abby is 5′ 2″ and Brittaney is 4′ 10″. Because of differences like these, the girls even wear different shoe sizes.

Since The Girls Are Conjoined, Are They Completely Identical

What are their dating lives like?

While the girls are very open about discussing struggles, victories, and daily routines, they are very strict about keeping their private life private. Thus, there’s not much to tell about their romantic lives, until they decide they feel like sharing. Fair enough, we say!

What Are Their Dating Lives Like

Can the girls drive?

Not only can Abby and Brittaney drive together, they both have their own licence! The sisters took the written tests separately on their sixteenth birthday. Because of their awesome coordination, they are very good drivers.

Can The Girls Drive

Was separating them ever an option?

Doctors did offer to separate the twins at birth. However, because the sisters share so many organs it would mean that chances of survival would be extremely low. The parents therefore decided not to go through with it and give their daughters the best life possible.

Was Separating Them Ever An Option

How different are the sisters exactly?

There are plenty of differences between Abby and Brittaney, from fear of heights to taste in music, these two are two very different peas in a pod. Not only that—the girls can also sometimes have totally different body temperatures.

How Different Are The Sisters Exactly

Do they have any siblings?

Abby and Brittaney have a brother and a sister—both younger! The siblings do their best to not steal each other’s spotlight. The family remains very close-knit, with everyone doing everything they can to help one another.

Do They Have Any Siblings

How do the twins deal with the public?

It’s certainly not easy, especially when people take unwanted pictures. The girls have learned to stand their ground though, and do not take kindly to people with no manners or sense of decency. Hopefully people’s manners will be better in the future.

How Do The Twins Deal With The Public

A Psychopath and an Empath United By One Body: True Story of Conjoined Twins

Shared Circulatory System but not shared Nervous System

Pyotr Anokhin, a Soviet physiologist, was fascinated by the effects of sensory deprivation on the human circulatory and nervous systems—specifically, sleep deprivation, lack of sustenance, and extreme temperatures. Thus, when Masha and Dasha, conjoined twins, were born in 1950, he saw them as the perfect test subjects for his experiments.

Shared Circulatory System But Not Shared Nervous System

Severe Torture and Experimentation Followed

Anokhin wanted to see how each twin reacted to the other’s pain. One twin was often exposed to several methods of torture, while the other’s reactions were studied. From birth until the age of twelve, the girls were believed to have been deprived of sleep constantly and exposed to pain through all sorts of horrible methods, including having a tube inserted into their stomachs.

Severe Torture And Experimentation Followed

Video documentation of the horrible torture the girls underwent still exists today

Many of the twins’ interactions were filmed for preservation purposes. The footage includes things from the twins putting on socks, to severe torture methods, such as examining how radioactive iodine would make its way from one sister’s bloodstream to another’s.

Video Documentation Of The Horrible Torture The Girls Underwent Still Exists Today

Masha began to exhibit many traits of psychopathy

Juliet Butler, a friend of the twins who got to know them as they grew older, noted that Masha was often far more aggressive than Dasha. Masha would often physically abuse her sister and during conversations that would take place between the tree of them, would never let her speak.

Masha Began To Exhibit Many Traits Of Psychopathy

Dasha Longed for a different life

Dasha was always far more obedient and agreeable than her sister. In experiments that required concentration and rule following, she would pay attention longer, while Masha would lose interest quickly and push people away.
As they matured, Dasha continued to seek connections with others, including the pursual of romantic relationships.

Dasha Longed For A Different Life

Masha abused Dasha both verbally and physically

Masha was constantly abusive to her twin, even when they were institutionalized together. According to their friend, Juliet Butler, once when the twins were 11, Masha even caused her sister’s nose to bleed. Dasha had to wait until her sister fell asleep in order to try to clean up the mess and not draw attention.

Masha Abused Dasha Both Verbally And Physically

Dasha’s suicide attempt at 18

At 18, Dasha fell in love with another student called Slava. Masha did not approve of this, and would often attack him whenever he was around. Dasha became so upset by Masha’s constant interference with her love life, she even tried to commit suicide at one point by hanging herself.

Dasha’s Suicide Attempt At 18

The Twins’ death at 17 hours apart

At 53 years old, Masha died suddenly from a heart attack, leaving Dasha alive, but in severe condition. The doctors wanted to remove her from her twin in order to save her. Dasha refused and ended up dying of blood poisoning, as a result of the toxins coming from her sister’s corpse.

The Twins’ Death At 17 Hours Apart

Reconnecting with their mother

Yekaterina Krivoshlyapova, the twins’ mother, was told they would need extreme private care when they were born. Krivoshlyapova agreed but requested to be able to visit her daughters regularly. Concerned that the mother would understand the types of experiments her children would undergo, those in charge of the study quickly changed the story and told her they died. Eventually, the mother managed to find her daughters and reconnect with them. Sadly, she could never really form a lasting relationship with them.

Reconnecting With Their Mother

Dasha coping with alcoholism

Masha was extremely controlling, to the point that she would even decide what she and Dasha would wear. Masha was more interested in the makeup-less, androgynous look, and thus Dasha had to follow suit. To cope with this dictated life, Dasha turned to excessive drinking, hoping that if she drank enough, the alcohol would enter Masha’s bloodstream and eventually cause her to fall asleep so that she would leave Dasha alone.

Dasha Coping With Alcoholism

Different Sexual Orientations

It’s been speculated that the two sisters had different sexual orientations. This is based on Masha’s disapproval of Dasha’s romance with a man, as well as her preference for movies with beautiful women in them.

Different Sexual Orientations

Life in between institutions

Starting at the Institute of Experimental Medicine right after they were born, the girls were continuously moved to various state-run institutions—five altogether. This alone shows the difficulty these twins faced.

Life In Between Institutions

This is what happens when one conjoined twin dies

It depends on what systems the twins share

Conjoined twins are connected in different ways. The most common way is through the upper part of their ribcage. These are called thoracopagus twins. thoracopagus twins share a heart and circulatory system. This means that if one twin dies, the other twin is likely to die too from something called sepsis, a condition that leads to organ failure.

Then there are omphalopagus twins—these conjoined twins are attached by the breastbones to the waists. Conjoined twins in this condition share a liver, a gastrointestinal system, and maybe a reproductive organ.

The final type of documented conjoined twins are the craniopagus conjoined twins. These twins are attached by the cranium. These are the rarest types of conjoined twins, accounting for only 2%. Survival of one twin in these cases depends on the size of connection between the two parties.

It Depends On What Systems The Twins Share

Just How Rare are Conjoined twins?

To give you an idea of just how rare conjoined twins are, keep in mind that not only are conjoined twins incredibly uncommon, they are also usually stillborn. According to Medical Daily, every 200,000 births results in conjoined twins. Out of those, 40-60% are stillborn, and 35% die within 24 hours of their birth.

Just How Rare Are Conjoined Twins

To save the living twin, s/he has to be removed from the dead one.

Following the death of one twin, doctors have only a matter of hours to save the other twin. This is not an easy procedure and can take up to 10 hours. However, it is crucial in order to avoid sepsis.

To Save The Living Twin S/he Has To Be Removed From The Dead One

The deaths of twins Chang and Eng Bunker were mere hours apart

Born in 1811 in Siam, Chang and Eng Bunker are the reason conjoined twins were once called Siamese twins. The two brothers shared a liver and were connected by a piece of cartilage. In 1874, Eng awoke to find that his brother had died. It’s rumored that his last words were “then I am going.”

The Deaths Of Twins Chang And Eng Bunker Were Mere Hours Apart

Violet and Daisy Hilton and the Flu

Violet and Daisy were born in England, in 1908. The girls were sold by their mother to her employer, Mary Hilton, who made money by showcasing them as a performance act.
After being freed from this situation, the girls took up a job in a grocery store. When they didn’t show up after a few days it was found that they had had the flu. The autopsy points to Daisy having died from the flu, and Violet a few days after, either also from the same cause or from infection from the corpse of her sister.

Violet And Daisy Hilton And The Flu

Simplicio And Lucio Godina died 12 days apart.

These twins were born attached back to back. Lucio died in 1936 from a rheumeric fever. Doctors performed an emergency surgery to remove Simplicio. Sadly, while the surgery was successful, he died 12 days after that due to spinal meningitis.

Simplicio And Lucio Godina Died 12 Days Apart