What was the first successful organ transplant between humans?

The first successful organ transplant between humans was a kidney transplant.

On December 23, 1954, surgeons at Peter Bent Brigham Hospital in Boston transplanted a kidney between identical twins Richard and Ronald Herrick. The operation succeeded partly because the twins had nearly identical genetic tissue, greatly reducing the risk of rejection. The recipient, Richard Herrick, lived for several years after the procedure.

Joseph Murray led the surgical team, while other clinicians helped manage the recipient and donor. Murray later shared the 1990 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for discoveries concerning organ and cell transplantation.

This milestone came before successful transplantation of several other major organs. Christiaan Barnard performed the first human heart transplant in 1967, while liver and lung transplantation also became possible through later advances in surgery, immunology, and anti-rejection treatment. “First successful” is important: earlier attempts had not produced lasting survival.