Richard Herrick

{{Short description|First successful organ transplant recipient (1931–1963)}} {{about||the U.S. Representative from New York|Richard P. Herrick|the Anglican priest|Dick Herrick}}

'''Richard J. Herrick''' (June 15, 1931 – March 14, 1963) was an American who gained worldwide recognition as the first beneficiary of a successful human [[organ transplant]].

Herrick suffered from [[kidney disease]]. Under the direction of [[Joseph Murray]], [[J. Hartwell Harrison]], and John Merrill, Herrick underwent a groundbreaking surgical procedure. This operation, conducted on December 23, 1954, facilitated by the donation of a kidney from his identical [[twin]] brother Ronald, represented a significant advancement in medical science. Following the transplant, he experienced an extension of life by eight years until succumbing to a fatal [[Myocardial infarction|heart attack]] at the age of 31.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/51386928 | publisher=Find A Grave | title=Richard J. Herrick | accessdate=8 January 2013}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url= https://news.harvard.edu/gazette/story/2011/09/a-transplant-makes-history/ | publisher=The Harvard Gazette | title= A transplant makes history | date=22 September 2011 | accessdate=22 September 2011}}</ref><ref>"[https://www.wired.com/story/kidney-donor-compensation-market Would You Sell Your Extra Kidney?]" by Dylan Walsh, ''WIRED''. January 5, 2023. Accessed March 7, 2023.</ref>

==References== {{reflist}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Herrick, Richard J.}} [[Category:1931 births]] [[Category:1963 deaths]] [[Category:Kidney transplant recipients]] [[Category:American twins]]