Tevellüd-i Acâib: Conjoined Twins in the Ottoman State

Conjoined twins, also known as Siamese twins in the literature, is a congenital malformation. The etiology of this anomaly, that is, its cause, is still completely unknown at the present time. Throughout history, creatures with this deformity have been curious in terms of both society and the medical profession, however, it has also been marginalized due to superstition and religious concerns. So much so that even the first records about conjoined twins in world history are dated quite late periods due to various concerns. And yet, many questionscome to mind such as how conjoined twins are perceived in the Ottoman State, and how the state of approch to people with this anomaly or their families; in addition, what is the prevalence of deformities in the Ottoman State in proportion to to today, whether is different from previlence of according to gender of babies or species of animals. Within the framework of these questions, a total of 22 conjoined twins cases were handled from the late 17th to the early 20th century. In the study, the definitions, types of these cases, reasons for reflection to the Ottoman archives and newspapers; moreover, the society's and the state's view of conjoined twins will be questioned.