Your Delicate Immune System
I’ve told this story before, but it bears repeating. If you understand this one story, you’ll understand the power of your own immune system.
A new mother was told that her twin babies had died after birth, but the truth was they were sent to an institute to be studied. This was to be the fate of the twins called “Masha” and “Dasha,” conjoined at birth. Conjoined—or Siamese—twins are formed in the same way as identical twins, but for some reason the egg doesn’t completely separate; instead, they remain partially attached while they develop into embryos and then fetuses. As a result, their circulatory systems are interconnected, so the twins share each other’s blood. Thus a germ that enters one twin’s bloodstream will soon be seen in the blood of the twin because of this.
Surprisingly, however, it became clear that illness affected Masha and Dasha differently.