“He was a better craftsman than me, especially when it came to stitching, and had very good hands in the theatre.”
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Christiaan Barnard
Christiaan Neethling Barnard was a South African cardiac surgeon who performed the world's first human-to-human heart transplant operation. On 3 December 1967, Barnard transplanted the heart of accident victim Denise Darvall into the chest of 54-year-old Louis Washkansky, who regained full consciousness and was able to talk easily with his wife, before dying 18 days later of pneumonia, largely bro…
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science · South African cardiac surgeon (1922–2001) · surgeon · writer · physician · also Christiaan Barnard, Christiaan Neethling Barnard, Barnard
Born 8 November 1922 · Died 2 September 2001 · Q188803
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The heart lay paralysed, without any sign of life. We waited - it seemed like hours - until it slowly began to relax. Then it came, like a bolt of light. There was a sudden contraction of the atria, followed quickly by the ventricles in obedient response - then the atria, and again the ventricles. Little by little it began to roll with the lovely rhythm of life.
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2026· 5 entries
“The heart lay paralysed, without any sign of life. We waited - it seemed like hours - until it slowly began to relax. Then it came, like a bolt of light. There was a sudden contraction of the atria, followed quickly by the ventricles in obedient response - then the atria, and again the ventricles. Little by little it began to roll with the lovely rhythm of life.”
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“I often say that, like King Lear, South Africa is a country more sinned against than sinning.”
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“Hamilton Naki had better technical skills than I did. He was a better craftsman than me, especially when it came to stitching, and had very good hands in the theatre”
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“For a dying man it is not a difficult decision because he knows he is at the end. If a lion chases you to the bank of a river filled with crocodiles, you will leap into the water, convinced you have a chance to swim to the other side.”
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2020· 1 entry
Published “The mutational constraint spectrum quantified from variation in 141,456 humans” in Nature — cited 9,220 times.
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2017· 1 entry
Published “Multi-messenger Observations of a Binary Neutron Star Merger<sup>*</sup>” in The Astrophysical Journal Letters — cited 3,678 times.
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2010· 1 entry
Published “Plasmonics for extreme light concentration and manipulation” in Nature Materials — cited 3,960 times.
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2001· 2 entries
Died 2001-09-02.
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“The prime goal is to alleviate suffering, and not to prolong life. And if your treatment does not alleviate suffering, but only prolongs life, that treatment should be stopped.”
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1993· 1 entry
Eight years before his death (ISBN 0947461388)
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1986· 2 entries
His reputation suffered when he promoted Glycel, an expensive "anti-aging" skin cream, whose approval was withdrawn by the United States Food and Drug Administration soon thereafter
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When he promoted Glycel, an expensive "anti-aging" skin cream, whose approval was withdrawn by the United States Food and Drug Administration soon thereafter
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1983· 2 entries
After developing rheumatoid arthritis in his hands which ended his surgical career
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After rheumatoid arthritis in his hands ended his surgical career
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1981· 1 entry
Barnard became a founding member of the World Cultural Council
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1978· 1 entry
The following was written about his views regarding race relations in South Africa;
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1971· 1 entry
Was the longest-lived recipient, surviving over 23 years
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1970· 1 entry
Married heiress Barbara Zoellner (1950-1998) when she was 19, the same age as his son, and they had two children: Frederick (born 1972) and Christiaan Jr
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1969· 3 entries
International fame took a toll on his family, and in 1969, Barnard and his wife divorced.
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Barnard and his wife divorced
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(ISBN 0245599525) and sold copies worldwide
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1961· 1 entry
Was appointed Head of the Division of Cardiothoracic Surgery at the teaching hospitals of the University of Cape Town
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1960· 1 entry
Flew to Moscow in order to meet Vladimir Demikhov, a top expert on organ transplants (later he credited Demikhov's accomplishment saying that "if there is a father of heart and lung transplantation then Demikhov certa
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1958· 3 entries
Barnard was appointed head of the Department of Experimental Surgery at Groote Schuur hospital, as well as holding a joint post at the University of Cape Town
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Barnard received a Master of Science in Surgery for a thesis titled "The aortic valve – problems in the fabrication and testing of a prosthetic valve"
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Barnard was appointed head of the Department of Experimental Surgery at the Groote Schuur Hospital, Cape Town
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1955· 1 entry
Travelled to the United States and was initially assigned further gastrointestinal work by Owen Harding Wangensteen at the University of Minnesota
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1953· 1 entry
In the United States, Barnard performed South Africa's second kidney transplant in October 1967, the first having been done in Johannesburg the previous year
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1951· 1 entry
Returned to Cape Town where he worked at the City Hospital as a Senior Resident Medical Officer, and in the Department of Medicine at Groote Schuur as a registrar
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1940· 2 entries
Studied at University of Cape Town (1940).
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And went to study medicine at the University of Cape Town Medical School, where he obtained his MB ChB in 1945
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1922· 2 entries
And grew up in Beaufort West, Cape Province, Union of South Africa
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Born 1922-11-08.
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