The Transplanted Heart ~ Peter Hawthorne

The Transplanted Heart ~ Peter Hawthorne

Medium hard cover
No dust jacket
Slight staining and discolouration of cover
Good condition inside

Peter Hawthornes The Transplanted Heart chronicles the groundbreaking medical journey of the worlds first successful human heart transplant, led by Professor Christiaan Barnard and his surgical team in Cape Town, South Africa. The book captures the urgency, ambition, and controversy surrounding the operation performed on Louis Washkansky in December 1967 at Groote Schuur Hospital. Through vivid storytelling and journalistic detail, Hawthorne explores the race among global cardiac surgeons, the ethical dilemmas of organ donation, and the emotional toll on patients, families, and medical staff. He delves into the lives of the donor Denise Darvall and her grieving father, the technical challenges of the heart-lung machine, and the media frenzy that followed Barnards success. The narrative also touches on rival surgeons like Adrian Kantrowitz and the broader implications for organ transplantation. Hawthorne presents the transplant not just as a medical milestone but as a moment of cultural and scientific transformation, revealing the human drama behind one of the twentieth centurys most daring surgical feats.