Transplants: 50 years of saving lives

Many advances have occurred since the first successful transplant, but hurdles remain. Key among them is a shortage of donor organs.

By Susan J. Landers, AMNews staff. Feb. 16, 2004.

Washington -- For hundreds of years, physicians knew that otherwise healthy patients were dying for lack of a functioning part. But the transplantation of a healthy organ from a body that could spare it to one that was needy remained a fantasy until, in 1954, a team of surgeons in Boston showed that it was possible.

Joseph E. Murray, MD, John Hartwell Harrison, MD, and John P. Merrill, MD, pulled off the astounding act. They successfully transplanted a fit kidney from Ronald Herrick into his identical twin, Richard, who was dying of kidney disease.

Before then, "the dogma was that it would never be possible and we were told we were playing God and shouldn't do it," said Dr. Murray, still writing and speaking at local high schools at age 85.

The first step was resolving these kinds of very basic ethical challenges. Thus, the actual surgery followed not only years of laboratory work and research, but also lengthy debate over moral questions.

"We discussed it with clergy of all denominations, with surgeons from other hospitals and with the general public. Many were critical. But we felt we were on proper medical, moral and ethical grounds," said Dr. Murray, a 1990 Nobel laureate.

Organ transplantation continues to inspire debate now, but the issues are different. They center on philosophical concerns such as fairness in awarding precious organs to those most in need and the risk to live donors who may be family members, co-workers or even strangers.