Genetic and Related Biomedical Aspects of Twinning

Twins are nothing new. They have been of interest for thousands of years. The Song of Solomon sang in amorous tones: "Thy breasts are like two young roes that are twins, which feed among the lilies." Genesis relates the story of Adam and Eve and their sons: Cain and Abel. According to Mohammedan tradition, Cain and Abel were born with twin sisters. Adam wished for Cain to marry Abel's twin and for Abel to marry Cain's twin. However, Cain was enamored of his own twin sister and so in jealousy slew his brother Abel. Twins appear in many ancient writings beyond the Bible. Romulus and Remus, the mythic founders of Rome, were twins. Shakespeare wrote of "twinn'd lambs that did frisk; ' the sun, and bleat the one of the other" in The Winter's Tale. GALTON: THE STUDY OF TWINS Modern scientific interest in twins dates to Sir Francis Galton. In 1875, Galton emphasized the importance of studies of twins to distinguish heredity from environment or, as he put it, "nature from nurture." Galton, a cousin of Charles Darwin, made numerous other contributions, among them the study of fingerprints which are remarkably alike in identical twins. Fingerprints are today commonplace in law. In pediatrics, dermatoglyphic features assist in the rapid clinical diagnosis of trisomy 13, 18, and 21 (Down syndrome).