In 1868, a little girl named Myrtle Corbin was born in Texas. Everything about her was perfectly normal – except that she had four legs. Doctors were baffled at first, but later they discovered that she was born with a dipygus twin. This is the story of her life. (1)
The Story of Myrtle Corbin: The Woman With Four Legs
Josephine Myrtle Corbin was one of eight perfectly normal children. Doctors at first couldn’t figure out why she was born with four legs instead of two. Later, they figured out that the second set of legs that grew out between her own actually belonged to her dipygus twin. (1) This occurs when the body axis completely duplicates itself at the caudal end or the lower half of the body. This meant that she not only had two sets of legs but two pelvis – complete with two sets of reproductive organs. (2)
Reasons as to how or why this happens to remain unclear, however, by all accounts, Myrtle was a perfectly healthy little girl who developed at the same rate as anyone else her age. Though she did have control over and could move her second set of legs, they could not be used for walking. They were too short and not strong enough to actually support her body weight. Unfortunately, she also had a clubbed foot on one of her good legs, which made standing and walking challenging. (3)
Read: The Inventor of a ‘Water-Powered Car’ That Died In A Restaurant Yelling ‘They Poisoned Me’
On Display
Myrtle’s father began showing his rarity of a daughter to his neighbors for the price of 10 cents each. Word traveled, and quickly he realized the potential cash her publicity could make. He made up pamphlets to advertise and put ads in the newspapers. She became incredibly popular and earned $450 a week visiting surrounding small towns and cities. (1) Eventually, she caught the attention of famous showman P.T. Barnum, who hired her for his show. She worked for him for four years until she retired from the business at just 18 years old. (1)
Post-Circus Life
During her time in the circus, Myrtle met a man named Dr. Clinton Bicknell. The two fell in love and got married when Myrtle was just 19 years old. The following year she became pregnant. Though the doctors believed she could carry to term, she was so intensely ill during her first trimester that the baby had to be aborted. The couple did, however, go on to have four children together. (1)
Myrtle lived the rest of her life normally with her husband and children in Texas. Sadly, she died in 1928 of a skin infection that today would be easily treatable with antibiotics. When news of her death got out, many doctors and showmen offered money for her body. Her friends and family covered her buried casket in concrete to prevent grave robbers from stealing her corpse. (1) In the end, a woman born with an incredible deformity ended up living a relatively normal life. (4)
Keep Reading: I Drilled a Hole in My Own Skull to Stay High Forever
Sources
- “The Story Of Myrtle Corbin, P.T. Barnum’s “Four-Legged Girl From Texas”. All That Interesting. Katie Serena. May 17, 2018.
- “An extremely rare case of classic complete caudal duplication: Dipygus.” NCBI. Yasen Fayez Al Alayet, et al. 2014.
- “Myrtle Corbin Was A Four Legged Woman Who Had Five Kids Of Her Own.” Postize. Ayuob
- Ransom Center Magazine. Alicia Dietrich. October 29, 2013.
