Friday, December 18, 2015. One of the most bizarre and melancholy stories about human deformities, is that of Edward Mordake; heir of one of the titles of nobility of England called “the diabolical head“; since he had an additional face on the back of the head.
He lived in complete isolation, even denying the visit of the members of his own family and committed suicide at the age of 23. It is known with some certainty that he was the son of the Countess of Darlington in England, and that his position, together with his physical condition; he gained the hatred and contempt of the community.
Edward was a young man with knowledge, a profound scholar and a musician of rare ability. His figure was remarkable for his grace and his face. He had two faces, one completely healthy; and another in the back of the neck with the face of a girl.
Beautiful like a dream, horrible as a demon; was the female face that occupied a small portion of the back of the skull and it exhibited signs of malignant intelligence, since when Mordake was crying he saw it smile and mocking of him. Its eyes followed the movements of the spectator, and the lips babbled incessantly and even he claimed that he could not rest at night by the whispers of hatred of his diabolic twin, as he called it.
Edward claimed that the imagination of his twin could conceive terrible temptations, considering that for some evil without forgiveness of their ancestors he was linked to this demon. He prayed to his doctors and implored them to crush his human appearance, although it also implied his death. Finally, Edward Mordake committed suicide; leaving a letter in which he asked to destroy the face of the devil before his burial.
The history of Edward Mordake dates back to the year 1895. From the medical point of view, it would be what is known as craniopagus parasiticus, which happens when a head of a parasite twin with an undeveloped body is attached to the head of a formed twin. The other theory is that he had diprosopus, a disorder that causes the duplication of parts of the face in the head. It is rare, but today happens to some people and even there are records that it also occurs in animals.
Recently, one of the cases it’s of Chang Tzu Ping; who became famous in the 1980s after traveling from a Chinese town to the USA to eliminate his second face. Ping had a complete mouth with teeth, scalp’s remains and undeveloped eyes; as well as the ears and nose. The surgery was a success and Ping has a normal life in his hometown.
ALFA