On this day in ...... 1984 (25 years ago today), California physicians gave an infant born with a heart condition sure to lead to death within days "a controversial transplant operation," xenotransplantation: they gave "Baby Fae" the heart of a baboon. Initial results seemed promising, but eventually the body of the infant (right) rejected the transplant and she died, 3 weeks after surgery. The procedure, which sparked controversy among medical ethicists and animal rights activists, has not been repeated.
(Prior October 26 posts are here and here.)
