Jean Libbera was born in Rome in 1884 with a parasitic twin clinging to his abdomen. Libbera's twin, Jacques, was a vestigial parasite. When Jean went out, she covered her twin with a cloak.
Parasitic twins like Jacques are a type of conjoined twin. Conjoined twins are incredibly rare, affecting only one in about 50,000 pregnancies worldwide.
Because vestigial twins almost always die in utero, doctors today usually remove the parasitic twin after birth to prevent the surviving twin from having medical problems.
But in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, people with vestigial parasites often performed in circuses and shows. That's exactly what Jean Libbera did.
And Jean Libbera was one of them.
Man living with a twin in his belly
In the early 1900s, Jean Libbera's parasitic twin brother Jacques, who was attached to his chest and abdomen, began performing in many circus shows.
Jean Libbera grew up as a performer, showing his twin attached to his abdomen in circuses and shows around the world. Often the brothers would wear matching suits during shows.
Audiences around the world were mesmerized by Jean Libbera, the "Man with Two Torsos", and his parasitic twin, Jacques, who grew inside his body.
Jacques, in Jean's belly, had two arms, two legs and a partially formed head embedded in Jean's stomach. But the conjoined twin's survival reportedly depended entirely on Jean's bodily functions.
Despite such a life, Jean had to carry his twin brother with him for the rest of his life. Nevertheless, Jean lived a fairly normal life despite her condition. Jean married, had 4 children and lived to the age of 50.
