On December 23rd, 1953 at the Peter Bent Brigham Hospital in Boston, a team of surgeons carefully removed a healthy kidney from a 23-year-old man named Ronald Herrick. Working quickly, they wrapped the donor organ in a cold, wet towel, placed it in a stainless steel dish, and carried it into a different operating room. There, Ronald’s identical twin Richard lay dying of chronic nephritis. His brother’s healthy kidney was his only chance at survival.The transplant, led by Dr.