Overview
One of the most spectacular medical advances of the twentieth century, organ transplantation has become a generally effective and routine treatment for patients with organ failure. In this riveting book, a well-known expert in the fields of clinical transplantation and transplantation research traces the evolution of organ transplantation from its initial stirrings in the imaginations of the ancients to its current status as accepted treatment for nearly 40,000 patients each year. Drawing often on his own firsthand experience, Dr. Nicholas L. Tilney tells the story of the advances in organ transplantation, discusses how societal forces have driven its development, and reveals how its current success is marred by commercialism and exploitation of the less fortunate. Dr. Tilney describes early transplantation attempts, the first successful kidney transplant in 1954 between identical twins, the scientific advances for suppressing the immune system, the introduction of the concept of host tolerance, the new research on donor matching, and the issue of donor brain death. He explores innovations in heart, lung, liver, and other abdominal transplants and reflects on the attempts to make transplants between species. Finally he explains how organ transplantation has become a vast business, creating ethical and logistical conflicts about organ donations."Dr. Tilney has an eye for the fascinating details, the shocking stories, and the unexpected connection. The result is a lively and enjoyable read."-Atul Gawande, M. D., author of Complications: A Surgeon's Notes on an Imperfect Science; "In this elegantly written book, an international authority on organ transplantation presents his firsthand reflections on the development of this exciting field. The book is a timely, well developed, and unique contribution."-Marc I. Lorber, M.D., Yale University School of MedicineAuthor Biography: Nicholas L. Tilney, M.D., is the Francis D. Moore Professor of Surgery, director of the Surgical Research Laboratory at Harvard Medical School, and senior surgeon and director of the Center for Transplantation Research at Brigham & Women's Hospital, where he headed the renal transplant service between 1976 and 1992. His research in transplantation biology has been continuously funded since 1974 by the NIH, and he has been the recipient of numerous awards and honors.
Synopsis
One of the most spectacular medical advances of the twentieth century, organ transplantation has become a generally effective and routine treatment for patients with organ failure. In this riveting book, a well-known expert in the fields of clinical transplantation and transplantation research traces the evolution of organ transplantation from its initial stirrings in the imaginations of the ancients to its current status as accepted treatment for nearly 40,000 patients each year. Drawing often on his own firsthand experience, Dr. Nicholas L. Tilney tells the story of the advances in organ transplantation, discusses how societal forces have driven its development, and reveals how its current success is marred by commercialism and exploitation of the less fortunate. Dr. Tilney describes early transplantation attempts, the first successful kidney transplant in 1954 between identical twins, the scientific advances for suppressing the immune system, the introduction of the concept of host tolerance, the new research on donor matching, and the issue of donor brain death. He explores innovations in heart, lung, liver, and other abdominal transplants and reflects on the attempts to make transplants between species. Finally he explains how organ transplantation has become a vast business, creating ethical and logistical conflicts about organ donations."Dr. Tilney has an eye for the fascinating details, the shocking stories, and the unexpected connection. The result is a lively and enjoyable read."-Atul Gawande, M. D., author of Complications: A Surgeon's Notes on an Imperfect Science; "In this elegantly written book, an international authority on organ transplantation presents his firsthand reflections on the development of this exciting field. The book is a timely, well developed, and unique contribution."-Marc I. Lorber, M.D., Yale University School of Medicine
Author Biography: Nicholas L. Tilney, M.D., is the Francis D. Moore Professor of Surgery, director of the Surgical Research Laboratory at Harvard Medical School, and senior surgeon and director of the Center for Transplantation Research at Brigham & Women's Hospital, where he headed the renal transplant service between 1976 and 1992. His research in transplantation biology has been continuously funded since 1974 by the NIH, and he has been the recipient of numerous awards and honors.
Library Journal
Tilney, director of the Surgical Research Laboratory at Harvard Medical School, has a long and successful history with transplant research that renders him well qualified to explore the ancient dream of organ transplantation and its fulfillment by modern medicine. Tilney devotes his first two chapters to world myths about transplantation and early efforts at actual transplants in the first half of the 20th century. Subsequent chapters examine the field's growing success during the past five decades. By 1975, some 35 kidney transplants from one twin to another had been performed in several hospitals around the world. Early efforts at liver and heart transplants also began by this time. Today, about 40,000 patients receive some kind of transplant each year. Tilney also covers the artificial heart, the ethics of human and animal-to-human transplants, increasing commercialization, and related subjects such as Peter Medawar's research on the body's rejection of foreign tissues. Although dense with historical and scientific detail, the book flows well and includes the very human stories of such driven surgeons as Alex Carrel, Michael DeBakey, Christiaan Barnard, and others. Recommended for all medical history collections and wherever interest in this fascinating topic exists.-A.J. Wright, Sch. of Medicine, Univ. of Alabama, Birmingham Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information.