First human heart transplantation in the national and foreign history of medicine

The first human heart transplant immediately exposed many unsolved problems of organ transplant existing at an early stage of the development of that kind of medical technology. The review of historical, legal and philosophical aspects of the first human heart transplantation in Russia and abroad is presented. Special attention is paid to the role and destiny of the pioneers of heart transplantation. The dramatic lives of Vladimir Demikhov and famous South African surgeon Christiaan Barnard are compared. The hard way of the heart transplantation founders is not lost, worthy successors continued their work, saving the lives of hundreds and thousands of patients.