Edward Mordake was fortunate to be born into a noble family, surrounded by love from his relatives. However, Mordake was born different from everyone else, with two faces.
An Illustrated Dictionary of Medicine, Biology and Allied Sciences" by Dr. George M. Gould and Walter L. Pyle, published in 1896, Mordake is described as "one of the most remarkable and melancholy cases of human deformity on record."
Mordake was born in the mid-19th century and was a brilliant scholar and gifted musician from England. His front-facing visage was exceedingly handsome, but behind his head appeared the face of another man.
Some opinions suggest that the "demon twin" was female, but the author duo, George M. Gould and Walter L. Pyle believed this to be impossible since all parasitic twins are of the same gender.
According to the description, the second face, which was grotesque, only occupied a small portion at the back of Mordake's neck, unable to speak or eat, but it could emit laughter or sneering when Mordake cried.
The eyes followed those around, and the lips "moved constantly" without making a sound. Mordake also revealed that he often suffered from insomnia due to the whispers of the "demon twin" sibling.
The articles of the time noted that Mordake was a very handsome person, but this was only true of the first face. When he turned around, the second face emitted a gloomy, twisted, and ugly expression, which was a symbol of evil.
Unable to bear the horrific condition, Mordake begged doctors Manvers and Treadwell to remove the second face from his body at any cost, even at the risk of his life, but no one dared to do so.
According to research, those who suffer from such a disease as Mordake typically experience a series of other serious complications, such as partial brain deficiency, neural tube defects, or heart defects that cause premature death or only allow for a short lifespan.
In utter despair, Mordake lived in seclusion, refusing to even meet with family members. Eventually, the young man committed suicide by poisoning himself at the age of 23.
As per his wishes, he was buried in an unmarked grave in a deserted area, without any stones or objects to mark the spot.
In medicine, the phrase "two-faced" is not only used to describe personality traits but also represents a rare and eerie human disease with a very low percentage of the genetic occurrence.
Unlike the phenomenon of humans or animals being born with two heads, in cases like Mordake, there may appear an extra nose, ear, or even a whole new face capable of expressing emotions, shedding tears, and even whispering.
Until now, Mordake has become a strange and enigmatic medical case with many unsolved mysteries.
