On Dec. 23, 1954 Dr. Joseph Murray '40 performed the world’s first organ transplant when he removed a kidney from a healthy 23-year-old man and implanted it into his twin brother who was suffering from kidney disease. The successful surgery marked the beginning of a new era in medicine. Since then, more than 400,000 lives have been saved by transplant surgeries.
Dr. Murray's subsequent research advanced doctors' ability to prevent transplant rejection, and in 1990 he was honored for his pioneering medical work with the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine. He was the first graduate of a Jesuit institution to receive the Nobel in this category.
In 1991, the College held a symposium on medicine in his honor where he received a crystal statue of a shooting star, symbolic of how Dr. Murray kept his eye on a distant star for years as he developed the methodology for organ transplants. In 1965, he received an honorary Doctor of Science degree from the College. A loyal and dedicated alumnus, Dr. Murray is a member of the 1843 Society.
Dr. Murray is professor of medicine emeritus at Harvard Medical School and the author of a 2001 memoir, Surgery of the Soul: Reflections on a Curious Career.
On the 50th anniversary of the first successful transplant, the world reflects on this scientific milestone.
Related information:
# "Transplant pioneers recall medical milestone" - NPR, Morning Edition, Dec. 20, 2004
# "The power of perseverance" - Boston Globe, Dec. 14, 2004
Medical Pioneer and Nobelist Joseph E. Murray, M.D., '40 Celebrates As World Recalls 50th Anniversary of First Transplant
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