PIONEER HEART TRANSPLANT

On December 3, Dr. Christian Barnard performed the first successful transplant of a human heart at Groote Schuur Hospital in Cape Town. Dr. Barnard, seen above with members of his surgical team, had perfected the transplant technique after years of research with laboratory animals. Both he and his patient - 55-year-old Louis Washkansky, who was about to die of an incurably diseased heart - were ready. What was needed was a suitable heart. The historic operation was made possible by an automobile accident which fatally injured 24-year-old Denise Ann Darvall, whose father gave permission for her undamaged heart to be used. A week later Washkansky (below) was sitting up. But massive doses of drugs used to combat his body's natural rejection of the foreign tissues prevented him from fighting the double pneumonia which caused his death 18 days after the surgery. Although this patient died, his doctors were convinced of the effectiveness of the transplant and at year's end were preparing to perform another.