![Tocci Mütter Museum](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/0d/Tocci_M%C3%BCtter_Museum.gif)
Giacomo and Giovanni Battista Tocci were
conjoined twins
Conjoined twins – sometimes popularly referred to as Siamese twins – are twins joined ''Uterus, in utero''. A very rare phenomenon, the occurrence is estimated to range from 1 in 49,000 births to 1 in 189,000 births, with a somewhat higher in ...
born in
Locana
Locana is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Metropolitan City of Turin in the Italian region Piedmont, located about northwest of Turin in the Orco Valley. In the early 1900s the town had about 7,000 residents. As of 2019 the population declined ...
,
Italy
Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical ...
between 1875 and 1877 in either July or October. They toured in a circus and retired about 1900; details of their later lives are uncertain.
Birth
Their mother Maria Luigia Mezzanrosa was 19 years old; she had an easy time with the birth as they were rather small. They were delivered normally, with one head appearing first, the other head and torso second, and the pelvis and legs third. The one on their right was named Giovanni Battista, and the one on their left Giacomo. They had one
umbilical cord
In placental mammals, the umbilical cord (also called the navel string, birth cord or ''funiculus umbilicalis'') is a conduit between the developing embryo or fetus and the placenta. During prenatal development, the umbilical cord is physiologi ...
and one
placenta
The placenta is a temporary embryonic and later fetal organ that begins developing from the blastocyst shortly after implantation. It plays critical roles in facilitating nutrient, gas and waste exchange between the physically separate mate ...
. Their father Giovanni Tocci had a
breakdown
Breakdown may refer to:
Breaking down
*Breakdown (vehicle), failure of a motor vehicle in such a way that it cannot be operated
*Chemical decomposition, also called chemical breakdown, the breakdown of a substance into simpler components
*Decompo ...
due to the appearance of his first-born sons and was put into a
lunatic asylum
The lunatic asylum (or insane asylum) was an early precursor of the modern psychiatric hospital.
The fall of the lunatic asylum and its eventual replacement by modern psychiatric hospitals explains the rise of organized, institutional psychiatr ...
until he recovered a month later.
Early childhood
The twins' parents did not allow any thorough examination of them as they believed it would diminish their fame. The twins' father took them to
Turin
Turin ( , Piedmontese: ; it, Torino ) is a city and an important business and cultural centre in Northern Italy. It is the capital city of Piedmont and of the Metropolitan City of Turin, and was the first Italian capital from 1861 to 1865. The ...
to be exhibited in the
freak show
A freak show, also known as a creep show, is an exhibition of biological rarities, referred to in popular culture as "freaks of nature". Typical features would be physically unusual humans, such as those uncommonly large or small, those with ...
, where the twins were examined by professors of the Turin Academy of Medicine. The professors determined they would not live long. However, a
Paris
Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), ma ...
tour followed, and they were examined by two doctors in
Lyon
Lyon,, ; Occitan language, Occitan: ''Lion'', hist. ''Lionés'' also spelled in English as Lyons, is the List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, third-largest city and Urban area (France), second-largest metropolitan area of F ...
,
France
France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan area ...
. They determined the twins would live long, against the prediction of the professors at the Turin Academy of Medicine. In August 1879, the twins were shown before the Swiss Society of Natural Science. A doctor there also determined they were likely to live. The twins had two heads, two necks, two ribcages that came together at the sixth rib, four arms, and two legs; they had two hearts, two stomachs, two sets of lungs, two separate diaphragms, and a shared large and small intestine. Each twin controlled his respective leg and did not feel his twin's body. For the rest of the 1880s, they were exhibited in most of the major cities in
Italy
Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical ...
,
Switzerland,
Germany
Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...
,
Austria
Austria, , bar, Östareich officially the Republic of Austria, is a country in the southern part of Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine states, one of which is the capital, Vienna, the most populous ...
,
Poland
Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It is divided into 16 administrative provinces called voivodeships, covering an area of . Poland has a population of over 38 million and is the fifth-most populou ...
, and
France
France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan area ...
almost every day. Although an English doctor would later state that Giacomo was idiotic and Giovanni intelligent and artistic, every succeeding doctor stated they were both clever. They never learned to walk as they did not have muscular development in their legs due to almost all of their time being exhibited, as it made it easier for their parents to exploit them. Despite this, they could stand by using a chair or another object to balance. To get around, they tumbled about on all six limbs or were transported in a wheelchair.
Adolescence
The twins spoke
Italian
Italian(s) may refer to:
* Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries
** Italians, an ethnic group or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom
** Italian language, a Romance language
*** Regional Ita ...
,
French, and
German
German(s) may refer to:
* Germany (of or related to)
** Germania (historical use)
* Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language
** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law
**Ge ...
. They settled disputes between themselves with their fists. While Giovanni liked beer, Giacomo preferred mineral water, he was very talkative while Giovanni was quite quiet. In 1891, the boys came to the
United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...
for an extensive tour and were paid $1000 a week. In March 1892, they arrived in
New York City
New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the Un ...
and stayed for three weeks. Their one-year tour turned into a five-year tour as their popularity grew in the United States.
Retirement
In 1897, the twins decided to retire in
Italy
Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical ...
, buying a villa in
Venice
Venice ( ; it, Venezia ; vec, Venesia or ) is a city in northeastern Italy and the capital of the Veneto region. It is built on a group of 118 small islands that are separated by canals and linked by over 400 bridges. The isla ...
. Then in their 20s, Giovanni and Giacomo became recluses, never leaving the high-walled villa; their experiences in the
freak show
A freak show, also known as a creep show, is an exhibition of biological rarities, referred to in popular culture as "freaks of nature". Typical features would be physically unusual humans, such as those uncommonly large or small, those with ...
made them wary of any sort of exhibition. In 1900, it was reported that they were alive and well. In 1904, the brothers married two women. Legal speculation followed; the public did not know what would happen if the twins decided to have children. Later reports contradict each other. One, in 1906, claimed the brothers had died, but in 1911, another report confirmed they were still alive. Again, another report written in 1934 stated that in 1912 they were alive and had children. Still another report claims they died in 1940, childless.
Mark Twain and "Those Extraordinary Twins"
When the twins went on their American tour, author
Mark Twain saw a photograph of "A youthful Italian freak" and decided to write the short story "Those Extraordinary Twins", which later became ''
Pudd'nhead Wilson.''
See also
Notes
*
*
*https://web.archive.org/web/20141116061958/http://www.phreeque.com/tocci_brothers.html
*http://etext.virginia.edu/railton/wilson/toccitwn.html
*https://web.archive.org/web/20100204084017/http://www.quasi-modo.net/Tocci2.html
*http://thehumanmarvels.com/?p=71
*
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Tocci, Giacomo And Giovanni Battista
Conjoined twins
1870s births
Date of death unknown
People from the Province of Turin
Italian twins
20th-century deaths
Sideshow performers