Myrtle Corbin, the Four Legged Woman.

By Alex in Everything Else on May 15, 2006 at 2:02 pm

The Human Marvels blog has this interesting story about Myrtle Corbin aka the Four-Legged Woman:

While at a glance one could plainly see four legs dangling beyond the hem of her dress – only one pair belonged to her, the other set to her dipygus twin sister. Born in Cleburne, Texan in 1868 – her condition was incredibly rare. The tiny body of her twin was only fully developed from the waist down and even then it was malformed – tiny and possessing only three toes on each foot. Myrtle was able to control the limbs of her sister but was unable to use them for walking and she herself had a difficult time getting around as she was born with a clubbed foot. Technically, the ‘Four-Legged Woman’ only had one good, usable leg.

Myrtle was a popular attraction with P.T. Barnum, and later with Ringling Bros. and Coney Island. Her popularity was likely linked to her showmanship – she would often dress the extra limbs with socks and shoes matching her own and this gave her a truly surreal appearance. Myrtle was so popular that she was able to earn as much as $450 dollars a week.

At the age of 19 Myrtle married a doctor named Clinton Bicknell. It was then that other aspects of her bizarre anatomy became evident. It seems that her twin sister was also fully sexually formed – thus Myrtle possessed two vaginas. She had four daughters and a son and it has been rumored that three of her children were born from one set of organs and two from the other. Whether this is true or not; it is medically possible. In Anomalies and Curiosities of Medicine by George M. Gould and Walter L. Pyle it was observed that both vaginas menstruated – thus indicating both were possibly sexually functional.

Myrtle passed on May 6, 1928, surrounded by family and friends.

See: The Human Marvels


Email This Post
Tweet This Post 
Share This Post on Facebook


Neat stuff from the NeatoShop:


  1. Ant
    May 15th, 2006 at 6:32 pm

    Wow, that is freaky.

  2. Rod Renegade
    May 15th, 2006 at 9:43 pm

    I second that freaky comment.

    Then she married a doctor and had four kids…

  3. J. Tithonus Pednaud
    May 15th, 2006 at 11:10 pm

    Greetings!

    Thank you for posting my article on strange little Myrtle and for spreading the oddness that is my little virtual cabinet of curiosities.

    It is much appreciated my friend.

    And yes, she is freaky indeed – yet there is much more to come.

    Sincerely,

    J. Tithonus Pednaud
    Purveyor of Peculiar Physical Phenomena
    And Puzzling Prodigies of the Past.
    http://www.thehumanmarvels.com

  4. Alex
    May 17th, 2006 at 4:43 pm

    You’re welcome, J. Tithonus Pednaud!

  5. aspiration. » The Parasite Twin.
    Sep 13th, 2006 at 1:42 am

    [...] Previously on Neatorama: Myrtle Corbin, the four-legged woman (also from The Human Marvel) [...]

  6. Josh
    Aug 6th, 2007 at 2:42 am

    hahaha this is my great great (great?) aunt. my name’s josh bicknell….so we’re not blood related but clinton bicknell was who she married. my uncle showed me a book she was in in our family history or whatever. but we are all perfectly normal nowadays….i think.

  7. Jake Fears
    Jul 10th, 2008 at 6:53 am

    Myrtle Corbin Is My Great Great Aunt… My Mom Has The Origional Photo That You Are Showing Here… Its Old And Worn But Has Her Signature on The Back. Most Of Our Family Still Live In Cleburne. Or In The Outlaying Areas. She Dd Have 4 Children 1 Son and 3 Daughters. My Great Aunt Mary Bicknel Is Still Alive. Thanks For Psting This. It Told Me Alot I Didnt Know About Her and Some I Ddnt Need To Hear haha…Thanks


Keep track of the comments with Comment RSS

Don't Miss: New Stuff | Bestsellers | The Cute Store
                   Funny T-Shirts | Zombie Shop

Need a gift? Get unforgettable gifts for:
Geeks | Pranksters | Kids | Hipsters | Shutterbugs

Lijit Search

Old school? Bookmark us! RSS Feed Twitter Facebook Page