Two-Faced

One of the rarest malformations in humans is diprosopus or commonly called craniofacial duplication. This is a rare syndrome where a child is born with two faces, one head, and one body. Since 1884, there have been only about 35 reports of this disorder in the world medical literature but there appears to be a new one in India. (see the following link) Craniofacial Duplication

This anomaly had been considered a type of conjoined twin but it differs because it is not normally due to the fusion or incomplete separation of two separate embryos. This anomaly is the result of an abnormal protein called Sonic Hedgehog homolog that somehow signals craniofacial development.

The medical literature is scant but most of these cases also involve other congenital disorders, particularly anencephaly, neural tube defect and cardiac malformations.

Most neonates with this disorder are stillborn so this particular case is unusual and will be interesting to see what other abnormalities are associated.

I don’t think reincarnation is the underlying etiology, but they certainly believe it.