U.S. Census Bureau highlights pioneering transplant procedures

Following is the daily "Profile America" feature from the U.S. Census Bureau:

SUNDAY, DECEMBER 20: FIRST ORGAN TRANSPLANT

Profile America -- Sunday, December 20th. The first successful organ transplant in the U.S. was performed this week in 1954 in Boston by Harvard Dr. Joseph Murray. He transplanted a kidney from one identical twin to another, who lived just over eight years. For his pioneering work on organ transplants, Dr. Murray received the Nobel Prize in medicine in 1990.

Now, there are nearly 17,000 kidney transplants each year in the U.S. Ninety-eight percent of patients live at least one year after these operations. More than 76,000 people are on waiting lists to receive a transplanted kidney. The most common grafting operation is that of eye corneas, helping to restore the sight of more than 50,000 patients annually. Profile America is in its 13th year as a public service of the U.S. Census Bureau.