Prompt Cast
The Myth of Edward Mordrake and the Rare Condition of Craniofacial Duplication
TLDR The story of Edward Mordrake, a man with a second face on the back of his head, is a complete fabrication that originated from a science fiction writer in the late 19th century. While the condition of craniofacial duplication is real, it is extremely rare and the widely shared photos of a mummified head with a face on the back are fake.
Timestamped Summary
00:00
Edward Mordrake is a figure who was mentioned in an article from 1895 about individuals with rare defects.
02:20
Edward Mordake had a congenital defect where he had a shrunken second face on the back of his head that would speak to him, leading him to eventually take his own life, although this story was completely made up.
04:27
Charles Loutin Hildreth, a science fiction writer, made up the story about Edward Mordake and his second face, which was published in The Boston Sunday Post and continued to circulate even after Hildreth's death.
06:42
In 1896, a book called the Anomalies and Curiosities of Medicine was published, which included an entry on Edward Mordake that copied the story written by Charles Loutin Hildreth word for word.
08:59
Edward Mordake was a handsome and talented young man who had an evil twin face on the back of his head that only he could hear, leading him to take his own life at age 23.
11:13
Craniofacial duplication, or diprosopus, is a very rare condition where a person is born with two faces, and while it is sad, it is also rare and has happened in the animal kingdom as well.
13:23
Edward Mordake's condition is extremely rare, with only six out of every 10 million births experiencing it, and while there have been various portrayals of him in pop culture, the widely shared photos of a mummified head with a face on the back are fake and were spread as if they were real on Facebook, highlighting the problem of people believing and sharing misinformation without questioning its authenticity.
Categories:
Society & Culture
