05/11/2026
The World's First Human Heart Transplant, Cape Town, 1967 🦉
On 3 December 1967, South African surgeon Professor Christiaan Barnard made medical history at Groote Schuur Hospital in Cape Town when he performed the world's first human heart transplant.
The patient was 53 year old Louis Washkansky, who suffered from severe heart disease. His donor was 25 year old Denise Darvall, who had sustained fatal injuries in a car accident.
The operation lasted approximately five hours and involved a surgical team led by Barnard. Washkansky survived the operation and initially made a promising recovery, becoming an international figure.
However, his immune system was weakened by the medication used to prevent rejection, and he died of pneumonia on 21 December 1967, just 18 days after the operation. Despite his short survival, the transplant marked a turning point in the history of medicine and placed Cape Town at the centre of international medical attention.
