From Experimental Science to Clinical Medicine- A Historical Overview of Important Milestones in the Evolution of Organ Transplantation

The remarkable progress of transplant medicine in the latter half of the twentieth century has led to an unprecedented demand for donated organs that have historically remained in short supply. Although a clinically effective procedure, organ transplant’s health benefit to the society is seriously limited by the shortage of organs. While the number of donors has been increasing at a steady rate, the number of people who can be effectively treated with a transplant has, far out-paced the supply of organs. It is therefore ironical that the benefits of transplant medicine are limited by the consequence of its own success. And it is this great paradox that makes this issue interesting and challenging. In this review, we briefly visit the historical developments that resulted in favorable conditions for the evolution of transplant medicine. The brief history of organ transplantation presented here draws attention to the rapid evolution of transplant medicine and the consequent rapid rise in demand for organs. This review is the first of the two-part series. In the second part of this series, we will recount how the society has responded to the increasingly evident need for transplantable organs, as well as, the ethical issues concerning removal of organs from the human body.