Question

First human heart transplant operation conducted by Dr. Christiaan Barnard on Louis Washkansky, was conducted in

• A. 1967
• B. 1968
• C. 1958
• D. 1922

Hint:

The first successful human heart transplant marked a significant advancement in medical science, performed in 1967.

Answer 1

The Correct Option is A

Step 1: Understanding the historical event.
The first human heart transplant was performed by Dr. Christiaan Barnard in 1967 on Louis Washkansky, marking a significant milestone in medical history.
Step 2: Analyzing the options.
(A) 1967: Correct — The first successful heart transplant operation was performed in 1967.
(B) 1968: This is incorrect; the surgery took place in 1967.
(C) 1958: This is incorrect, as heart transplants were not performed in this year.
(D) 1922: This is incorrect; the heart transplant was much later than 1922.
Step 3: Conclusion.
The correct answer is (A) 1967, as this was the year the first human heart transplant was performed by Dr. Christiaan Barnard.

Answer 2

This question is asking us to pin down the year of the first human-to-human heart transplant, a landmark event in cardiac surgery performed by Dr. Christiaan Barnard at Groote Schuur Hospital in Cape Town, South Africa. Instead of recalling the date directly, we can rule out each option using what else we know about the medical and historical timeline around it.

1. 1967: By the mid-1960s, immunosuppressive drugs such as azathioprine and corticosteroids were already in clinical use, and kidney transplants (the first successful one performed in 1954) had already demonstrated that solid-organ transplantation was viable. This gave surgeons like Barnard the tools and confidence to attempt a heart transplant, and 1967 is indeed the year the operation was carried out.
2. 1968: This can be ruled out because it is the year AFTER the actual transplant took place; Louis Washkansky's transplant and subsequent death (18 days later, from pneumonia linked to his suppressed immune system) had already occurred by the end of 1967, and by 1968 several other surgeons around the world (including Barnard himself, with his second patient) had begun repeating the procedure.
3. 1958: This can be eliminated because the surgical and immunological knowledge required for transplantation did not yet exist. Tissue rejection was poorly understood, and even kidney transplants were only a few years old and still rare; a heart transplant, a far more complex operation, was not medically feasible at this stage.
4. 1922: This date is far too early even for basic advances like open-heart surgery or the heart-lung machine (which was only developed in the 1950s). Without a way to keep the patient's circulation going while operating on the heart, this surgery could not have been attempted.

Ruling out 1968, 1958 and 1922 on medical-history grounds leaves only one option standing.

Therefore, the correct answer is 1967.