Transplantation

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Joseph Murray's Surgical Research Laboratory notebook, containing surgical notes on canine renal autotransplantation.

The Surgical Research Laboratory, located on the Harvard Medical School Quadrangle, was founded in 1912 by Harvey Cushing, Surgeon-in-Chief at the Peter Bent Brigham Hospital. The lab functioned as a place for animal-based surgical research, as well as a place for medical students to receive surgical experience. Members included Elliott Cutler, Carl Walter, Francis Moore, and Dwight Harken.

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Joseph Murray with staff members and dogs on the Harvard Medical School Quad (circa 1960s).

It was at the Surgical Research Laboratory that Murray and his colleagues refined the surgical techniques for kidney transplantation in dogs, which led to the development of the procedure used for humans. Murray was director of the lab from 1952-1975.

Transplantation