Knife to the Heart (4 Parts)

Synopsis

Series looking at the history of transplant surgery.
1: Tells how surgeons worked for over half a century beforethey discovered how to transplant a human organ, with many of the early patients dying withing days or weeks of their operations. Features South African Dr Christiaan Barnard, who performed the world’s first heart transplant in 1967. Examines some of the medical, legal, ethical and emotional ramifications of that operation.
2: Tells of the surgeons and medical researchers who overcame serioius medical ethical objections to make transplantation a reality. Interviews Yvette Thibault, who had a kidney transplant as long ago as 1965, and surgeon René Küss, who relied on guillotined prisoners for organs and who talks about the opposition that early practitioners faced.
3: Follows the search for a foolproof way to prevent the rejection of organ transplants. The surgeon responsible for the multiple organ transplant on Laura Davies in 1993 reveals his regrets. Asks how far surgeons should go in their attempts to save patients’ lives.

Language

English

Country

United States

Medium

Video; Videocassette. Standard formats. col. 4 x 50 min.

Year of production

1996

Availability

Sale; 2000 sale: £180.00 (+VAT +p&p) series

Notes

Broadcast on BBC1 from 30/4/96.

Documentation

4: Discusses the acute shortage of organs for transplant and various ethical questions surrounding the situation. Examines allegations about unethical trading in donor organs, noting that poor women in India are selling their kidneys, and the eyes of a teenage boy in France were removed after his death. Looks at research into the use of animal organs for human transplant surgery.

Subjects

Medical sciences

Keywords

human organ transplant surgery; surgery

Credits

Producer

Tony Stark

Contributor

George Carey

Sections

Title

Man with the golden hands, The

Synopsis

1: Tells how surgeons worked for over half a century beforethey discovered how to transplant a human organ, with many of the early patients dying withing days or weeks of their operations. Features South African Dr Christiaan Barnard, who performed the wo

Title

Against nature

Synopsis

2: Tells of the surgeons and medical researchers who overcame serioius medical ethical objections to make transplantation a reality. Interviews Yvette Thibault, who had a kidney transplant as long ago as 1965, and surgeon René Küss, who relied on guilloti

Title

Walking the tightrope

Synopsis

3: Follows the search for a foolproof way to prevent the rejection of organ transplants. The surgeon responsible for the multiple organ transplant on Laura Davies in 1993 reveals his regrets. Asks how far surgeons should go in their attempts to save patie

Title

Great organ hunt, The

Production Company

Name

Barraclough Carey Productions Ltd

Name

WNET

Sponsor

Name

BBC Education

Web

http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools External site opens in new window

Phone

020 8746 1111

Fax

020 8752 4398

Address

White City
201 Wood Lane
London
W12 7TS

Distributor

Name

BBC Active Video for Learning - now BBC Learning

Contact

Carolina Fernandez Jeremy Wilcox (CF - for educational enquiries JW - channel sales manager)

Email

BBCStudiosLearning@bbc.com

Web

https://www.bbcstudioslearning.com/ External site opens in new window

Phone

+44 (0) 20 8433 1009

Address

BBC Studios Limited
Television Centre
101 Wood Lane
London
W12 7FA
UK

Notes

The BBC Active company has now been absorbed within BBC Learning, a division of BBC Studios. It was originally a joint venture between BBC Worldwide and Pearson Education. Formerly known as ‘BBC Worldwide Learning Studies’ and before that as ‘Videos for Education & Training’