Christiaan Barnard

Verified Timeline

Lore & Background

Barnard was born on 8 November 1922 in Beaufort West, Cape Province, Union of South Africa. His father, Adam Barnard, was a minister in the Dutch Reformed Church. One of his four brothers, Abraham, was a 'blue baby' who died of a heart problem at the age of three. Barnard matriculated from Beaufort West High School in 1940 and studied medicine at the University of Cape Town Medical School, obtaining his MB ChB in 1945. After internship and residency at Groote Schuur Hospital, he worked as a general practitioner in Ceres, a rural town in the Cape Province. He earned a Master of Medicine in 1953 and a doctorate in medicine for a dissertation titled 'The treatment of tuberculous meningitis'. As a young doctor experimenting on dogs, Barnard developed a remedy for the infant defect of intestinal atresia. After nine months and forty-three attempts, he reproduced the condition in a fetus puppy by tying off some of the blood supply to its intestines, then cured it by removing the piece of intestine with inadequate blood supply. His technique saved the lives of ten babies in Cape Town and was adopted by surgeons in Britain and the United States.

Reader's Guide

Barnard's significance lies in his pioneering role in heart transplantation, which captured global attention and advanced the field of cardiac surgery. His first transplant, though criticised for its 80% success rate claim, demonstrated that human-to-human heart transplantation was possible. His second patient, Philip Blaiberg, survived for a year and a half after surgery, providing further evidence. Beyond transplantation, Barnard's earlier work on intestinal atresia saved ten babies in Cape Town and was adopted internationally. He trained under open-heart surgery pioneer Walt Lillehei at the University of Minnesota, after being introduced to the heart-lung machine. Upon returning to South Africa in 1958, Barnard was appointed head of the Department of Experimental Surgery at Groote Schuur Hospital. He retired as head of the Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery in Cape Town in 1983 after rheumatoid arthritis in his hands ended his surgical career. In 1986 his reputation suffered when he promoted Glycel, an expensive 'anti-aging' skin cream whose approval was withdrawn by the United States Food and Drug Administration soon thereafter. During his remaining years, he established the Christiaan Barnard Foundation, dedicated to helping underprivileged children throughout the world. He died in 2001 at the age of 78 after an asthma attack.

Did You Know?

• Barnard's first heart transplant patient, Louis Washkansky, regained full consciousness and was able to talk easily with his wife before dying 18 days later of pneumonia.
• Barnard told Mr. and Mrs. Washkansky the operation had an 80% chance of success, an assessment that has been criticised as misleading.
• As a young doctor, Barnard spent nine months and forty-three attempts to reproduce intestinal atresia in a fetus puppy by tying off some of its blood supply.
• Barnard's technique for intestinal atresia saved the lives of ten babies in Cape Town and was adopted by surgeons in Britain and the United States.
• In 1986, Barnard promoted Glycel, an expensive 'anti-aging' skin cream whose approval was withdrawn by the United States Food and Drug Administration soon thereafter.