Lynne Vallone

In 1824, a Scottish merchant called Robert Hunter was sailing down the Mekong when he saw a ‘two-headed Hydra-like creature’ climbing into a dinghy. On closer inspection, Hunter discovered ‘not some amphibious reptile’ but two identical young boys connected at the chest by a thick band of flesh. He had been on the lookout for new ways to make money in Siam; that summer’s day, he found one in the body of the 13-year-old twins.