A Semi‐Centennial Report on the Participants Depicted in Joel Babb's Portrait, ‘The First Successful Kidney Transplantation'

• Published in: American journal of transplantation Vol. 7; no. 7; pp. 1683 - 1688
• Main Authors: Desai, S. P., Desai, M. S., Wood, D. N., Maddi, R., Leeson, S., Tilney, N. L.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Oxford, UK Blackwell Publishing Ltd 01-07-2007; Blackwell
• Subjects: Babb; Biological and medical sciences; History, 20th Century; Humans; Kidney Transplantation - history; Medical sciences; Surgery (general aspects). Transplantations, organ and tissue grafts. Graft diseases; Surgery of the urinary system; United States; United States; Treatment; Urinary system; Report; Surgery; Graft; Homotransplantation; Kidney; Kidney transplantation
• ISSN: 1600-6135; 1600-6143
• DOI: 10.1111/j.1600-6143.2007.01861.x

Joseph Murray performed the first successful human kidney transplant on December 23, 1954. Forty‐three years later, he along with participants Francis Moore and Leroy Vandam, commissioned a painting of the event from artist Joel Babb (1). To document this unique record of medical history, we identify all those present at the operation and depicted in the portrait, describe how the artist created the work, explain irregularities and inaccuracies in the painting, provide a 50‐year follow‐up on everyone involved, and comment on any influence this landmark event may have had on their subsequent careers.
The authors have described Joel Babb's painting depicting the first successful kidney transplant between identical twins that now hangs in the Countway Library of Harvard Medical School, and traced the identity of all persons shown in the painting.