Descendants of original Siamese twins hold reunion

MOUNT AIRY, NC (AP) — Descendants of the original Siamese
twins are having their annual family reunion, which marks the 200th
anniversary of the birth of Eng and Chang Bunker.

The Mount Airy News reports that the reunion begins Friday and
includes a speech from Cynthia Wu, an assistant professor at the
University of Buffalo who’s writing a book about the twins.

Eng and Chang Bunker were born May 11, 1811, in Siam, which is
now Thailand, and inspired the term “Siamese twins” to describe
conjoined twins. They eventually settled in Mount Airy and married
two sisters from the region. They had 21 children between them.

In addition to the reunion, the Surry Arts Council is sponsoring
events that include a play about the twins. The council also has a
permanent exhibit about the twins.

(Copyright 2011 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)