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Chang (; (タイ語:จัน), ) and Eng (; (タイ語:อิน), ) Bunker (May 11, 1811 – January 17, 1874) were Thai-American conjoined twin brothers whose condition and birthplace became the basis for the term "Siamese twins". ==Life== The Bunker brothers were born on May 11, 1811, in the province of Samutsongkram, near Bangkok, in the Kingdom of Siam (today's Thailand). Their fisherman father was a Chinese Thai, while their mother, Nok, ((タイ語:นาก); ) was Chinese Malaysian. Because of their Chinese heritage,〔(【引用サイトリンク】title=Eng and Chang Bunker )〕 they were known locally as the "Chinese Twins". The brothers were joined at the sternum by a small piece of cartilage, and though their livers were fused, they were independently complete. In 1829, Robert Hunter, a Scottish merchant who lived in Bangkok, saw the twins swimming and realized their potential. He paid their parents to permit him to exhibit their sons as a curiosity on a world tour. When their contract with Hunter was over, Chang and Eng went into business for themselves. In 1839, while visiting Wilkesboro, North Carolina, the brothers were attracted to the area and purchased a farm in nearby Traphill. Determined to live as normal a life they could, Chang and Eng settled on their small plantation and bought slaves to do the work they could not do themselves.〔(UNC Univ. Libraries, Southern Historical Collection no. 03761 )〕 Using their adopted name "Bunker", they married local women on April 13, 1843. Chang wed Adelaide Yates, while Eng married her sister, Sarah Anne. The twins also became naturalized American citizens.〔(【引用サイトリンク】title=Chang and Eng's Grave )〕 The couples shared a bed built for four in their Traphill home. Chang and Adelaide would become the parents of eleven children. Eng and Sarah had ten. After a number of years, the wives began to dislike each other〔 This source confirms the wives' dispute, but disagrees on the number of children and says nothing about the household arrangements.〕 and separate households were set up west of Mount Airy, North Carolina in the town of White Plains. The brothers would alternately spend three days at each home. During the American Civil War, Chang's son Christopher and Eng's son Stephen both served in the Confederate army. The twins lost most of their money with the defeat of the Confederacy and became very bitter. They returned to public exhibitions, but this time they had little success. Nevertheless, they maintained a high reputation for honesty and integrity, and despite their odd marriages they were highly respected by their neighbors.〔 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Chang and Eng Bunker」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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