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How Conjoined Twins Ended Up Taking Very Different Life Paths
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May 30, 2025
Conjoined twins have long been the subject of great curiosity due in part to the rarity of the condition. Not to mention, many different ways exist for siblings to become anatomically connected to one another. Fueled by that curiosity, a Soviet physiologist named Pyotr Anokhin - who studied the development and structure of human circulatory and nervous systems - made Masha and Dasha Krivoshlyapova the focus of many of his science experiments - experiments that were conducted for the majority of their lives.
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Conjoined twins have long been the subject of scientific interest, due in part to the rarity of the condition and the variety of ways for siblings to become anatomically connected to one another
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Masha and Dasha Krivoshlapova were Russian sisters who had diametrically opposed personalities
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One showed the traits of an empath, and the other, a psychopath
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It would be a difficult situation for any set of siblings, but it was especially so for Masha and Dasha
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because they happened to be conjoined twins. Today, we're going to take a look at the story of conjoined twins
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who were trapped in the same body. Now, why don't you conjoin us for this very twin-teresting tale
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Everybody at Weird History is pretty proud of that line. It's pretty clever. Born in 1898, Pyotr Anokhin was a Soviet physiologist who started his career under
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the guidance of the famous behavioral physiologist Ivan Pavlov. Anokhin dedicated his career to
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conducting experiments designed to pinpoint the different functions of the human circulatory and
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central nervous systems, specifically when a person was sleep-deprived, subjected to extreme
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temperature changes or denied sustenance. Anokine, that is a really specific area of study
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So when conjoined twins Masha and Dasha were born in Moscow in 1950, possessing one body
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that contained a joint circulatory system and two separate nervous systems, Anokine saw
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them as the perfect subjects for his future experimentation. And in the most cartoonishly evil fashion, Anokine had the twins taken from their mother
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shortly after they were born, and then told her they had died of pneumonia just after birth
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I bet nobody came to this guy's retirement party. In reality, the sisters were transported to a nearby medical institute in Moscow
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where they became the subjects of extensive, life-altering experiments. Masha and Dasha were born conjoined at the waist
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They had two heads, two torsos, four arms, and one leg each
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They also had a third vestigial limb at their back that had some movement
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The girls shared the same circulatory system but had separate nervous systems
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As a result, scientists, who had apparently stepped right out of a horror movie
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became particularly interested in testing each twin reaction or lack thereof to the other twins physical distress The experiments they conducted which were more like torture involved tactics like covering one twin in ice while the other twin would be carefully observed for a reaction
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Similar experiments were also conducted with extreme heat, painful stimuli, and even the injection of radioactive iodine
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The girls are also believed to have been electrocuted and to have been deprived of sleep
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particularly during their formative years, from birth to around age 12. Masha and Dasha lived at the Medical Institute from their infancy well into their early childhood years
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While they were there, the USSR Academy of Medical Sciences filmed many of their interactions with the scientists and the staff
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In another experiment, one twin was fed while the other was starved
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Since this already sounds like a supervillain origin story, it should come as no surprise that one of the twins, Masha, became noticeably disobedient
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The trait began to emerge when she was still just a toddler, particularly when the Soviet scientists tried to measure her motor skills
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While her sister Dasha would lift the legs she controlled in response to a nurse's request to put socks on her
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Masha would ignore the caregiver and even throw the sock away aggressively
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As a result, Dasha quickly learned how to put socks on, while Masha was unable or unwilling to concentrate on the task long enough to get it done
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As the sisters grew older, they became friends with a woman named Juliet Butler
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who would later write multiple books about their lives. According to Butler, Masha would scream threats at Dasha while physically attacking her
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Butler also noted that Masha often refused to let Dasha speak for herself
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in many of the trio's conversations, and alleged that Masha compulsively lied and showed narcissistic
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tendencies. Even when they were children, Dasha was far more compliant and emotionally vibrant
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than Masha. Experiments that called for cooperation from the girls always showed a marked difference
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in the respective sisters' attention spans, motor skill development, and interest in other people
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When the girls were still toddlers, Dasha would always be the first to pass motor coordination
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tests and complete requested tasks. For example, when asked to squeeze a bulb in response to seeing
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lights, Dasha would always react first. What's more, she would always keep her mind focused on
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the task at hand, while Masha was almost always argumentative and easily became distracted
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This personality difference also manifested itself outside of the scientific tests in much more personal ways For instance as they grew older Dasha continued to seek companionship and romance away from her sister while Masha would stubbornly push people away
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So just in case this sibling nightmare scenario doesn't dwarf yours, prepare yourself
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because it gets worse. According to their friend Juliet Butler, Masha began abusing her sister Dasha
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while they were still in institutionalized care. Recounting an incident that occurred when the girls were 11
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she told the Ottawa citizen that Masha beat Dasha, threatening to end her life
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Dasha responded by attempting to clean up her sister once, when she fell asleep, in hopes that the hospital staff wouldn't know what was happening
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In another incident, while attending the school for invalids at the age of 18
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Dasha fell in love with a fellow student named Slava. Love is usually a wonderful thing, but in this case
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Masha became enraged. As she grew older, Masha had become very controlling and manipulative
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pushing people away, lying, and exhibiting other troubling signs of psychopathy. Masha
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disapproved of Dasha's relationship with Slava and would even physically attack him at times
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Distressed by her inability to pursue love and the violently controlling nature of her sister
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Dasha attempted to hang herself at the age of 18. Masha sounds like kind of a villain
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But let's remember, scientists stole her from her mother, imprisoned her in a lab, and used her for experiments
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You might turn out nasty, too. The scientists, on the other hand, eh, let's consider them the bad guys
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After the girls were born in January of 1950, their mother, Yekaterina Krivoshlapova
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was told her daughters would require extensive state-sponsored care to live. Yekaterina agreed, but asked for permission
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to still visit her daughters from time to time. Quickly realizing the young mother was unlikely to consent
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to having her children subject to a lifetime of mad scientist experiments
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she was told the girls had passed. Years later, Yekaterina learned her children were still alive
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She managed to reconnect with Masha and Dasha and even attempted to form a relationship with them
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Unfortunately, Masha ran their mother off after four years of reconciliation, returning the girls to a life of isolation
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In more ways than one Dasha was unable to live her life the way she wanted for as they grew older Masha managed to assert control over nearly every aspect of both of their lives Masha insisted they had to keep their hair short and boyish and their clothes plain and androgynous
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Most of all, there was never an opportunity for an outsider to enter Dasha's life and provide the
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romance and affection she desperately craved. Once the sisters were released from the hospitals
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and asylums they had been forcibly admitted to, Dasha began to drink alcohol regularly
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On several occasions, she allegedly drank to excess in hopes that, through their shared bloodstream
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Masha would get drunk enough to be unable to abuse her or verbally accost strangers that looked their way
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As previously mentioned, while the sisters were in school, Dasha fell in love with a male student named Slava
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But Masha disapproved and attempted to run him off with physical and verbal abuse
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Masha seemed to prefer to avoid romantic relationships with men, but reportedly enjoyed watching movies with beautiful women in them
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The twins' friend, Juliet Butler, once explained that Masha had been very affectionate with her, always covering her with kisses
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and nibbling her ear until it was quite awkward. Additionally, Butler noted how Masha had them dressed like men
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Their hair was always cut short, which Dasha hated. Masha wouldn't let them wear any makeup
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Masha and Dasha Krivoshlapova would spend their entire lives in institutions. Just after they were born, the twins were sent to the Institute of Experimental Medicine in Moscow
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Six months later, the doctor who had been experimenting on the girls was exiled
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and the twins were subsequently moved to the Academy of Medical Science Pediatric Institute
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where the experiments were continued by other scientists. At six years old, the girls were moved to the Scientific National Institute of Prosthetics in Moscow
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where they learned how to walk and read. Eight years later, the girls were moved to a boarding school for people with disabilities
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before moving into yet a different institution that cared for veterans. After spending over 53 years together, on April 17, 2003
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Masha suffered from a deadly heart attack that left Dasha in a particularly vulnerable state
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Unsure of what to do, doctors initially told Dasha that her sister was simply sleeping
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Dasha, of course, would have known the moment Masha's heart stopped beating, recalled a woman who was a longtime friend of the sisters
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Despite doctors suggesting she be promptly separated from her sister's body, Dasha refused
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Within 17 hours, Dasha died from blood poisoning as her body had been slowly contaminated
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by the toxins from her sister's lifeless body
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