Which doctor performed the world’s first successful heart transplant in 1967?
Jonas Salk
Christiaan Barnard
Alexander Fleming
Benjamin Spock
Fact: South African surgeon Christiaan Barnard performed the historic operation on December 3, 1967, at Groote Schuur Hospital in Cape Town. He transplanted the heart of donor Denise Darvall into 53-year-old Louis Washkansky, who survived for 18 days before dying from pneumonia. Although Washkansky’s survival was brief, the operation proved that human heart transplantation was possible. Barnard’s achievement attracted worldwide attention and helped pave the way for safer, more successful transplant procedures that have since saved thousands of lives.
Correct Answer: Christiaan Barnard