Fascination & Lessons

Five operations in as many weeks trained world spotlights on the surgical feat of transplantation of the human heart. From the fact that this operation could be repeated so often and so soon after the historic first in Cape Town, with survivals up to 18 days, four conclusions emerged:

1) Surgically, the procedure is entirely feasible for a sufficiently experienced, well-coordinated team (in reporting job offers from U.S. hospitals, South Africa's Dr. Christiaan Barnard said that he would go only if some of his 30-man team could go with him).

2) While the rejection reaction had been the transplanters' biggest bugbear, a verdict on its true importance must be postponed at least until a heart recipient lives long enough for the reaction to develop. By the end of last week, none had.

3) Problems in finding heart donors have been eased by the drama of the first transplant, with the appealing element that the humblest accident victim might, by the donation of his heart, confer the gift of life on another.

4) For all its fascination and dramatic attraction, transplantation cannot in the conceivable future offer relief for more than a minute proportion of heart-disease victims. It therefore invites attention to less drastic surgical and medical procedures now being developed or enormously improved, which give hope to far greater numbers (see final MEDICINE story).

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