In 1818, a novel was anonymously published in London by an 18-year-old author. It told the story of a scientist who was determined to bring a cadaver back to life in his laboratory. The novel was so graphic that, today, almost 200 years later, Frankenstein is still in print and widely popular.
What the author, Mary Shelly explored in her novel was also being studied by scientists at the time, particularly in the field of immunology.
According to Columbia University’s Transplant Program, there were three notable scientists who, very early on, contributed to the future success of, not only heart transplants, but also any kind of human transplant, including skin grafts. These scientists were:
- Ehrlich who discovered antibodies and antigens,
- Lansteiner, who discovered blood typing,
- and Metchinkoff who wrote the theory of host resistance.
In 1967, Dr. Christian Barnard, a South African heart surgeon, performed the first heart transplant on a patient named Louis Washkansky, who lived for 18 days before succumbing to pneumonia.
This news was heard around the world.
What Barnard did was succeed in proving a human heart could be transplanted from one human to another.
In 1988, Tineke Dixon, who developed Eisenmenger syndrome because of a congenital heart defect, received a heart/lung transplant in 1988 before her lungs completely deteriorated.
She was just 16, and it was during a time when only a small percentage of children survived this type of surgery. No doubt, when doctors told her she was going to receive a new heart and lungs, she was full of hope and started making plans for the future. And it’s a good thing she did, because Dixon went on to earn a PhD and became an accomplished rower and yacht master.
Dixon will celebrate the 29th anniversary of her heart/lung transplants in 2017, and I’m sure Mary Shelly would be impressed. I know I am.
