SURGEON GENERAt’S WORKSHOP ON lNCREAS.lNG ORGAN DONATION INTRODUCTION Historical Perspective on Organ Transplantation and Donation

Successful organ transplantation is one of the many medical miracles that have occurred in our extraordinary century. The dream is ancient. The well-known story of Cosmos and Damian, the martyred twin physicians who replaced the gangrenous limb of a white sacristan with that of a dead Moor, is visually recorded by. many artists. However, it was not until the 1900s that scientifically documented attempts at organ replacement were made, and not until the last half of this century that success was achieved.