World’s first organ donor dies at 79

By Dr. Ananya Mandal, MDDec 30 2010

On December 23, 1954, Dr. Joseph Murray performed the world’s first kidney transplant removing a kidney from Ronald Herrick and implanting it in his identical twin Richard. Years later, Murray shared a Nobel Prize for his groundbreaking work. For the Herrick twins, the results were more immediate and personal. Richard lived for about eight more years because of Ronald’s donation.

Mr. Ronald Herrick, who suffered from heart ailments died this Monday in the Augusta Rehabilitation Center in Augusta, Maine, where he was recuperating from heart surgery in October. He was 79 and lived in Belgrade, Maine. In an autobiography, Murray recalled those moments when it seemed that the transplant team held its breath.

Before the operation, many people opposed the idea of transplanting a body organ and Ronald’s donation laid a precedent to organ transplants. The operation proved that transplants were possible and led to thousands of other successful kidney transplants and ultimately the transplant of other organs.