Chang and Eng Bunker

A painting of Chang (right) and Eng Bunker (left), circa 1836

Chang Bunker and Eng Bunker (May 11, 1811 – January 17, 1874) were the conjoined twin brothers whose condition and birthplace became the basis for the term "Siamese Twins".^[1][2]

Biography

The Bunkers in their later years

The Bunker brothers were born on May 11, 1811 in Siam (now Thailand), in the province of Samutsongkram, to a fisherman and a mother (Nok or นาก [Nak] in Thai).^[3] Because of their Chinese heritage, they were known as the "Chinese Twins" in Siam. They were joined at the sternum by a small piece of cartilage. Their livers were fused but independently complete. Although 19th century medicine did not have the means to do so, modern surgical techniques would have easily allowed them to be separated. In 1829, they were "discovered" in Siam by British merchant Robert Hunter and exhibited as a curiosity during a world tour. Upon termination of their contract with their discoverer, they successfully went into business for themselves. In 1839, while visiting Wilkesboro, North Carolina, the twins were attracted to the area and settled on a 110 acre farm in nearby Traphill, becoming naturalized United States citizens.

Determined to start living a normal life as much as possible, the brothers settled on a plantation, bought slaves, and adopted the name "Bunker". On April 13, 1843, they married two sisters: Chang to Adelaide Yates and Eng to Sarah Anne Yates. Interestingly, this made their respective children double first cousins, a situation wherein the cousins are actually as genetically related as half-siblings. Their Traphill home is where they shared a bed built for four. Chang and his wife had 10 children; Eng and his wife had 11. In time, the wives squabbled^[4] and eventually two separate households were set up just west of Mount Airy, North Carolina in the community of White Plains – the twins would alternate spending three days at each home. During the American Civil War Chang's son Christopher and Eng's son Stephen both fought for the Confederacy. Chang and Eng lost part of their property as a result of the war, and were very bitter in their denunciation of the government in consequence. After the war, they again resorted to public exhibitions, but were not very successful. They always maintained a high character for integrity and fair dealing, and were much esteemed by their neighbors.^[4] The twins died on the same day in January of 1874. Chang, who had contracted pneumonia, died rather suddenly in his sleep. Eng awoke to find his brother dead, and called for his wife and children to attend to him. A doctor was summoned to perform an emergency separation, but Eng refused to be separated from his dead brother. He died three hours later. Chang's wife died on April 29, 1892 and Eng's wife died on May 21, 1917.

Legacy

Grave of Eng and Chang Bunker near Mt. Airy, North Carolina

The fused liver of the Bunker brothers was preserved and is currently on display at the Mütter Museum in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Numerous references about the twins, including some of their personal artifacts and their travel ledger, are displayed in the North Carolina Collection Gallery in Wilson Library at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. This includes the original watercolor portrait of Chang and Eng from 1836.

The short story The Siamese Twins^[5] by Mark Twain was based on the Bunkers. In 1996, BBC Radio 4 broadcast a 90-minute radio play called United States about the lives and deaths of Chang and Eng Bunker. The writer was Tony Coult and the director was Andy Jordan. Transmission was on June 17, with a cast that included Bert Kwouk and Ozzy Youe as the twins. A Singapore musical based on the life of the twins, Chang & Eng was directed by Ekachai Uekrongtham and written by Ming Wong with music by Ken Low. Chang & Eng premiered in 1997 and has since been performed around Asia, starring Robin Goh as Chang Bunker, Sing Seng Kwang as Eng Bunker and Selena Tan as their mother Nok. Subsequent productions starred Edmund Toh as Chang Bunker and RJ Rosales as Eng Bunker. The best-selling and multiple-award-winning 2000 novel Chang and Eng by Darin Strauss was based on the life of the famous Bunker twins. The film rights to the novel were purchased by award winning filmmaking team Gary Oldman and Douglas Urbanski. Oldman is currently working on the screenplay and will also direct.^[6]

United States Air Force Major General Caleb V. Haynes was a grandson of Chang Bunker through his daughter Margaret Elizabeth "Lizzie" Bunker. Haynes's son Vance Haynes earned a doctorate in archaeology, performed foundational fieldwork at Sandia Cave to determine the timeline of human migration through North America, and served as professor at several universities.

References

Further reading

• The Two: The Story of the Original Siamese Twins, Amy and Irving Wallace, Simon & Schuster, 1978, hardcover, ISBN 0-671-22627-4
• Eng & Chang: The Original Siamese Twins, David R. Collins, Silver Burdett Press, 1994, paperback, ISBN 0-382-24719-1; hardcover, ISBN 0-87518-602-5
• Chang and Eng: A Novel, Darin Strauss, Dutton, 2000, paperback, ISBN 0-452-28109-1; hardcover, ISBN 0-525-94512-1

See also

• Human zoo

External links

• Eng and Chang Bunker Digital Project at UNC-Chapel Hill
• Chang and Eng Bunker at findagrave
• Watercolor of the twins and short biography
• Papers of the twins in the archives of the University of North Carolina
• Biography from Wilkesboro.com
• A Hyphenated Life - detailed story in Blue Ridge Country Magazine
• Together Forever - National Geographic Magazine