Richard J. Herrick (June 15, 1931 – March 14, 1963) was an American who gained worldwide recognition as the first beneficiary of a successful human organ transplant.
Herrick suffered from kidney disease. Under the direction of Joseph Murray, J. Hartwell Harrison, and John Merrill, Herrick underwent a groundbreaking surgical procedure. This operation, conducted on December 23, 1954, facilitated by the donation of a kidney from his identical twin brother Ronald, represented a significant advancement in medical science. Following the transplant, he experienced an extension of life by eight years until succumbing to a fatal heart attack at the age of 31.[1][2][3]
References edit
- ^ "Richard J. Herrick". Find A Grave. Retrieved 8 January 2013.
- ^ "A transplant makes history". The Harvard Gazette. 22 September 2011. Retrieved 22 September 2011.
- ^ "Would You Sell Your Extra Kidney?" by Dylan Walsh, WIRED. January 5, 2023. Accessed March 7, 2023.
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