Қосбас және көпбас туындылар жағдайы

Condition of having more than one head

Polycephaly is the condition of having more than one head. The term is derived from the Greek stems poly (Greek: "πολύ") meaning "many" and kephalē (Greek: "κεφαλή") meaning "head". A polycephalic organism may be thought of as one being with a supernumerary body part, or as two or more beings with a shared body. Two headed animals (called bicephalic or dicephalic) and three headed (tricephalic) animals are the only type of multi headed creatures seen in the real world, and form by the same process as conjoined twins from monozygotic twin embryos. In humans, there are two forms of twinning that can lead to two heads being supported by a single torso. In dicephalus parapagus dipus, the two heads are side by side. In craniopagus parasiticus, the two heads are joined directly to each other, but only one head has a functional torso. Survival to adulthood is rare, but does occur in some forms of dicephalus parapagus dipus. There are many occurrences of multi headed animals in mythology. In heraldry and vexillology, the double headed eagle is a common symbol, though no such animal is known to have ever existed.

Two headed people and animals, though rare, have long been known to exist and documented.

In humans, as in other animals, partial twinning can result in formation of two heads supported by a single torso. Two ways this can happen are dicephalus parapagus, where there are two heads side by side, and craniopagus parasiticus, where the heads are joined directly.

In dicephalus parapagus dipus, the two heads are side by side, on a torso with two legs, with varying levels of twinning of organs and structures within the torso. The shared body may have four arms altogether, or three arms, or two arms only. There are Greek based medical terms for the variations, e. g. dibrachius means two armed and tribrachius means three armed. Both heads may contain a fully formed brain, or one may be anencephalic. If carried to term, dicephalus parapagus twins are usually stillborn, or die soon after birth. Survival to adulthood does however occasionally occur in cases where the twins are born with three to four arms. Chances of survival are improved if two complete hearts are present. Separation surgery is contraindicated, except in cases where one of the twins is clearly dying. Giacomo and Giovanni Battista Tocci (born between 1875 and 1877), were dicephalus parapagus dipus twins who survived to adulthood. Each had his own pair of arms. They learned to speak several languages, but never learned to walk. Abigail and Brittany Hensel, born in 1990, are another instance of dicephalus parapagus dipus twins who grew up. They were born with two functional arms, plus a vestigial third arm, which was surgically removed. Each twin has her own complete head, heart and spine, and controls one arm and one leg. They developed good motor skills, and completed courses at school and university. Other species with known two headed occurrences include cattle, sheep, pigs, cats, dogs, and fish. In 1894, a two headed partridge was reported in Boston, Massachusetts. It was notable as a dicephalic animal for surviving into adulthood with two perfect heads. Scientists have published in modern journals about dissecting such animals since at least the 1930s. On October 31, 2006, the World Aquarium announced that "We" was adopted by Nutra Pharma Corporation, a biotechnology company developing treatments using modified cobra venom and cobratoxin. "We" died of natural causes at age seven in June 2007, not long after being acquired by Nutra Pharma. in Lausanne, Switzerland, and the Ripley's Believe It or Not! museum in Gatlinburg, Tennessee, have collections of preserved two headed animals. A very well preserved 2 headed lamb is on display in Llanidloes museum in Wales. A live two headed turtle named Janus can be seen at the Natural History Museum in Geneva, Switzerland.

In cases where multiple heads are fully developed and non parasitic, they share control of the organs and limbs, though the specific structure of the connections varies. Animals often move in a disoriented and dizzy fashion, with the brains "arguing" with each other; some animals simply zig zag without getting anywhere. There is some speculation that the inbreeding of snakes in captivity increases the chances of a two headed birth.

It is difficult to draw the line between what is considered "one animal with two heads" or "two animals that share a body". Abigail and Brittany Hensel, born in 1990, were given two distinct names at birth. They identify as two people, and are recognised as two people legally and socially. On the other hand, Syafitri, born 2006 in Indonesia, were given one name by their parents because they only had one heart. Millie and Christine McKoy were often referred to in the singular, including by themselves, with the name "Millie Christine", as well as plural. In Peter Mogila’s 17 century Catechism, the following instructions are given for baptism of polycephalic infants: should there be distinct heads and distinct chests, this means there are separate people each of whom must be baptised normally; if the heads and chests are not completely distinct from each other, however, one person must be baptised normally but baptism of the other(s) should be preluded by the formula "if not already baptised". With other animals, polycephaly is usually described as "one animal with two heads".

Lycosthenes described a pair of adult female twins who had separate necks but one body. Both heads ate, drank, slept, and spoke. They had to beg from door to door, "everie one giveing (sic) to her freely". They were banished to Bavaria due to fears pregnant women who saw them would give birth to similar children; nothing else is known of them. In 1990, Abigail and Brittany Hensel were born in Minnesota, United States. In 2000, Ayse and Sema Tanrikulu were born in Kahramanmaraş, Turkey. In June 2000, Carmen and Lupita Andrade were born in Veracruz, Mexico. They later moved to the United States for healthcare with their parents. In 2003, Sohna and Mohna were born in India. On June 13, 2003, twin girls named Huda and Manal Abdel Nasser Mohammed Mahmoud were born in Asyut, Egypt. In 2006, Syafitri was born in Indonesia. In 2007, Mary Grace and Mary Divine Asis were born in the Philippines with only one heart. They died on April 30, 2008. On August 25, 2008, a baby boy named Kiron was born with two heads in south western Bangladesh. The baby was described by the gynaecologist present at the birth as having "one stomach and he is eating normally with his two mouths. He has one genital organ and a full set of limbs". He died on August 28, 2009. In July 2009, dicephalic twins were born in Indonesia with two hearts but sharing all other internal organs. In 2011, Sueli Ferreira gave birth to a child with two heads in Campina Grande, in Paraíba state, Brazil, but the baby died a few hours later because of lack of oxygen to one of the heads. In March 2014, dicephalic twin girls were delivered via caesarian section at Cygnus JK Hindu Hospital in Sonipat, Haryana, in northern India. The babies reportedly have two heads, two necks and two spinal columns but share all major organs.

Craniopagus parasiticus is a condition in which a parasitic twin head with an undeveloped or underdeveloped body is attached to the head of a developed twin. Recorded cases include:
In 1783 the "Two Headed Boy of Bengal" was born in India; the second head was joined roughly upside down on top of the developed twin's head. The boy survived until 1787 and was killed by a snakebite. In 2003 Rebeca Martinez was born in the Dominican Republic with an extra head but died 7 hours after surgery at the age of 8 weeks. In 2004 Egyptian Naglaa Mohamed gave birth to Manar Maged who had the head and undeveloped torso of another child attached. In 2005 the second head was removed and later that year Naglaa appeared on The Oprah Winfrey Show with her surviving child. Manar died from a brain infection in 2006. On January 20, 2021, a baby was born with two heads, at the Elias Hospital in Bucharest, Romania, but died some hours after it was born.

The Deformed Animals Museum of Llubí, Spain, preserves a two headed pig. A preserved two headed piglet can be seen at the Museum of Witchcraft, Boscastle, Cornwall, England. A two headed piglet can be found at the Old State House in Hartford, Connecticut. In 1998, Rudy, a two headed pig, was born in Iowa. Various two headed sheep can be seen in the Bar Central Museum of Llubí, Spain. In 2006, a two headed lamb was born in Shandong, China. The Ripley's Believe It or Not! museum in Gatlinburg, Tennessee, has a mount. The Llanidloes town museum in Powys, Wales, has an example of a two headed lamb. The Liebig Extract of Meat Company factory (now a museum) in Fray Bentos, Uruguay, has a preserved two headed lamb.

A two headed mouse was seen at Hallæ. Wyman saw a 2 headed snake, alive, in the Jardin des Plantes, Paris, in 1853. There are several preserved two headed snakes on display in the Museum at the Georgia State Capitol Building in Atlanta. "We", the two headed albino rat snake (see above).

Two headed turtles and tortoises are rare but not unknown. Recent discoveries include:
In 1999, a three headed turtle was discovered in Tainan, Taiwan, by a villager named Lin Chi fa. In 2003, a two headed angulate tortoise was discovered in South Africa, with the only other known case in the region reported in the early 1980s. In 2004, Solomon and Sheba, a two headed Mediterranean spur thighed tortoise, was born in Dorchester, England. In 2005, a two headed olive ridley sea turtle was found in Costa Rica by the World Wildlife Fund. A baby turtle of unknown species was also reported in Havana, Cuba, in 2005. In 2006, a two headed, six limbed soft shell turtle in Singapore named "Double Happiness" was also featured on a local television program, and again on another program in late 2006. In December 2021, a living two headed Greek tortoise named Janus born in 1997 was displayed in the Museum of Natural History of Geneva. As of 2007, there is a fully preserved common snapping turtle named Emily with two heads at the Science Museum of Minnesota. In February 2011, a two headed turtle was uncovered in Garner, North Carolina. A two headed Florida redbelly turtle named Gege lived at the Homosassa Springs Wildlife State Park, transferred to a zoo where it spent the rest of its natural life until summer of 2008. A two headed turtle is currently on display at the Coex Aquarium in Seoul, South Korea. A two headed turtle was released into the ocean with about 50 other turtles as part of a Broward County, Florida hatching turtle rescue program on July 19, 2012. A two headed turtle named Thelma and Louise was born at the San Antonio Zoo on June 18, 2013. A two headed yellow bellied slider lives at the Herpetarium in the Greensboro Science Center in North Carolina. A two headed red eared slider is on display at the Sideshow Museum in Uranus, Missouri. A two headed painted turtle hatchling was found in the wild in Polk County, Wisconsin in April 2023 and reported to the Wisconsin DNR. A two headed turtle was found on the Cape Hatteras National Seashore by the National Park Service during a nest inspection on August 16, 2021.

In 2006, a paper published by the British Royal Society reported the discovery of a two headed fossil embryo or neonate of the long necked choristodere reptile Hyphalosaurus, which was the first record of polycephaly having been found fossilized.

An account of a two headed pigeon was published in France in 1734.

Mušmaḫḫu, a seven headed serpent related to mythology of Ninurta, and Ningishzida. Sometimes related to Mušḫuššu. Humbaba, the guardian of the Cedar Forest, where the gods lived. A description from Georg Burckhardt translation of Gilgamesh says, "he had the paws of a lion and a body covered in thorny scales; his feet had the claws of a vulture, and on his head were the horns of a wild bull; his tail and phallus each ended in a snake's head."

Zahhak, an evil figure in Iranian mythology also evident in ancient Iranian folklore as Aži Dahāka (Azh dahak) is the most significant and long lasting of the ažis of the Avesta, the earliest religious texts of Zoroastrianism. He is described as a monster with three mouths, six eyes, and three heads (presumably meaning three heads with one mouth and two eyes each), cunning, strong and demonic. But in other respects Aži Dahāka has human qualities, and is never a mere animal.

The Talmud (Brachot 61a) says that originally Adam was created as a single body with two faces (which were then separated into two bodies male (Adam) & female (Eve)). The Zohar (introduction 1:9B / p. 9B) speaks of descendants of Cain with 2 heads. The Talmud (Menachot 37a) records an incident in which Phlimo asked Judah the Prince which head a two headed person should put on Tefillin. Judah was initially dismissive, but then another man came in saying that his wife had just given birth to a two headed baby, and asked a (different) halachic question.