Ronald Lee Herrick donated kidney
to his dying twin brother in pioneering 1954
operation
Thursday 30 December 2010
The Guardian
David Batty
This article appeared on p22 of the Main section section of the Guardian
on
Thursday 30 December 2010.
It was published on guardian.co.uk at 01.10 GMT on Thursday 30 December 2010.
It was last modified at 08.01 GMT on Thursday 30 December 2010.
A man who donated a kidney to his dying twin brother 56 years
ago in the world's first successful organ transplant has died in the United
States.
Ronald Lee Herrick died, aged 79, on Monday in the Augusta Rehabilitation
Centre, a hospital in Maine, New England, following complications from heart
surgery in October, his widow, Cynthia, said.
Herrick donated a kidney to his identical twin, Richard, in a pioneering
operation on 23 December 1954.
The successful surgery kept Herrick's brother alive for eight years and was the
first successful organ transplant, according to the United Network for Organ
Sharing. Lead surgeon Dr Joseph Murray went on to win the Nobel prize.
The operation proved that transplants were possible and led to thousands of
other successful kidney transplants, and later the transplant of other organs.
Doctors around the world had tried a few transplants before the breakthrough
operation, without success, said Murray, who went on to perform another 18
transplants between identical twins.
"This operation rejuvenated the whole field of transplantation," said Murray,
91, who lives in Wellesley, Massachusetts.
"There were other people studying transplants in four or five different
countries, but the fact that it worked so well with the identical twins was a
tremendous stimulus."
Herrick grew up on a farm in Rutland, Massachusetts, and later served in the US
army.
He was 23 when he donated a kidney to his brother, who was dying from chronic
nephritis, an inflammation of the kidneys. Murray thought the odds of a
transplanted organ being accepted would be enhanced since they were identical
twins.
Before the operation, many opposed the idea of transplanting an organ, equating
it with desecration of a body. Others argued it was unethical to operate on
healthy humans, and editors of medical journals wrote that it was contrary to
the Hippocratic oath to never do harm to anyone, Murray said.
But Herrick was not dissuaded from the operation. "He was the only one in the
world who could save his brother's life, so he was going to do it," said Cynthia
Herrick. "There was no question about it."
Background
When were the first organ transplants?
The first successful kidney transplant, in 1954, was Ronald
Lee Herrick.
The first heart transplant was 1967.
Which organs can be transplanted?
Organs that can be transplanted include the heart, kidneys, liver, lungs,
pancreas, thymus, ovaries, penis and uterus. Tissues that can be transplanted
include bones, tendons, cornea, skin, heart valves, and veins. Recent
developments include hand and full face transplants.
How many are on UK waiting list for a transplant?
As of 17 December 2010, 7,927; most of them, 6,779, were waiting for a kidney.
How many transplants were made this year?
Between 4 January and 12 December, there were 2,583 organ transplants; 698 were
from living donors.
How many people have registered as organ donors?
As of September, there were 17.4 million people on the NHS organ donor register.
Sister's Kidney Donation Condition of Miss. Parole
December 29, 2010
Filed at 8:49 a.m. EST on December 30, 2010
The New York Times
By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
JACKSON, Miss. (AP) — For 16 years, sisters Jamie and Gladys
Scott have shared a life behind bars for their part in an $11 armed robbery. To
share freedom, they must also share a kidney.
Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour suspended the sisters' life sentences on
Wednesday, but 36-year-old Gladys Scott's release is contingent on her giving a
kidney to Jamie, her 38-year-old sister, who requires daily dialysis.
The sisters were convicted in 1994 of leading two men into an ambush in central
Mississippi the year before. Three teenagers hit each man in the head with a
shotgun and took their wallets — making off with only $11, court records said.
Jamie and Gladys Scott were each convicted of two counts of armed robbery and
sentenced to two life sentences.
"I think it's a victory," said the sisters' attorney, Chokwe Lumumba. "I talked
to Gladys and she's elated about the news. I'm sure Jamie is, too."
Civil rights advocates have for years called for their release, saying the
sentences were excessive. Those demands gained traction when Barbour asked the
Mississippi Parole Board to take another look at the case.
The Scott sisters are eligible for parole in 2014, but Barbour said prison
officials no longer think they are a threat to society and Jamie's medical
condition is costing the state a lot of money.
Lumumba said he has no problem with the governor requiring Gladys to offer up
her organ because "Gladys actually volunteered that as part of her petition."
Lumumba said it's not clear what caused the kidney failure, but it's likely a
combination of different illnesses over the years.
Barbour spokesman Dan Turner told The Associated Press that Jamie Scott was
released because she needs the transplant. He said Gladys Scott will be released
if she agrees to donate her kidney because of the significant risk and recovery
time.
"She wanted to do it," Turner said. "That wasn't something we introduced."
Barbour is a Republican in his second term who has been mentioned as a possible
presidential contender in 2012. He said the parole board agreed with the
indefinite suspension of their sentences, which is different from a pardon or
commutation because it comes with conditions.
An "indefinite suspension of sentence" can be reversed if the conditions are not
followed, but those requirements are usually things like meeting with a parole
officer.
The Scott sisters have received significant public support from advocacy groups,
including the NAACP, which called for their release. Hundreds of people marched
through downtown Jackson from the state capital to the governor's mansion in
September, chanting in unison that the women should be freed.
Still, their release won't be immediate.
Mississippi Department of Corrections Commissioner Chris Epps said late
Wednesday that he had not received the order. He also said the women want to
live with relatives in Florida, which requires approval from officials in that
state.
In general, that process takes 45 days.
Mississippi NAACP President Derrick Johnson said the Scott sisters' release will
be "a great victory for the state of Mississippi for two individuals who
received an excessive sentence" and he has no problem with the kidney donation
requirement because Gladys Scott volunteered.
"I think it's encouraging that she's willing to share a kidney so her sister can
have a better quality life," Johnson said.
National NAACP President and CEO Benjamin Todd Jealous said the suspension of
the sentences represents the good that can come with the power of governors.
"It's again proof that when people get engaged, keep the faith, we can win,"
Jealous said.
(This version deletes incorrect reference to Barbour granting
