Count Orloff was a famous man because of his physical condition. His skin felt like a bone tissue and he was transparent. He was so translucent that the circulation of his blood could be seen and studied. When a light was placed against his breast a newspaper held across his back could be easily read.
Count Orloffs' real name was Ivannow Wladislaus Von Dziarski-Orloff, born in Budapest in 1864. He began to lose his strength at age fourteen and at eighteen his limbs could no longer support his body which forced him to remain sitting in a chair for the rest of his life. The softening of his bones and muscles caused the curvature condition of his limbs.
The Count was never without pain and was always seen smoking an opium pipe. to relieve his suffering.
He was exhibited at the Royal College of Medicine in Berlin for three years and was first shown in the United States in 1893.He died in 1904
Another medical condition were the Siamese twins Chang and Eng who were joined at the breastbone for their entire lives. They were born in Siam in 1811 and in 1829 they moved to the United States where they took up residence in Wilkes County, North Carolina and became American citizens.
In 1843 they married two daughters of a local farmer, Sarah and Adelaide Yates in a double wedding ceremony. Between the both of them they produced twenty-two children. The two families lived in separate homes a mile apart. Three days were spent with one wife and the following three days with the other. The twins earned the respect of their community as hard-working farmers. Occasionally the twin brothers would go on the road and be exhibited at Barnum's Museum.
Although they were identical twins they differed in physique and character. Chang was an inch shorter than his brother and was more aggressive. He liked to drink alcohol now and then, while Eng never drank. Interestingly, Eng did not feel the effects of Chang's drinking. Sometimes they quarreled and went for long periods without speaking to each other.
One night in January 1874, Chang died and before a doctor could be summoned Eng followed him.
In 1843 they married two daughters of a local farmer, Sarah and Adelaide Yates in a double wedding ceremony. Between the both of them they produced twenty-two children. The two families lived in separate homes a mile apart. Three days were spent with one wife and the following three days with the other. The twins earned the respect of their community as hard-working farmers. Occasionally the twin brothers would go on the road and be exhibited at Barnum's Museum.
Although they were identical twins they differed in physique and character. Chang was an inch shorter than his brother and was more aggressive. He liked to drink alcohol now and then, while Eng never drank. Interestingly, Eng did not feel the effects of Chang's drinking. Sometimes they quarreled and went for long periods without speaking to each other.
One night in January 1874, Chang died and before a doctor could be summoned Eng followed him.
Another set of joined twins were Millie and Christine McCoy. They danced and sang duets (one was soprano and the other contralto) as they accompanied themselves on guitars.
The twins were born slaves in North Carolina in 1851 and were joined at the back, more closely than the Siamese twins. and they shared one digestive system. They possessed a common sensory nerve system in the legs, both feeling a touch on any of their limbs. Christine, (the one on the right) was the stronger and by bending could lift up her sister.
They travelled throughout the world performing song and dance for entertainment. They died October 8, 1912 at the age of 61.
This picture was taken in 1867
