Transplants
While legends of transplant surgery date back as far as the second Century, the reality of transferring organs from one body to another is less than 50 years old. We follow a father and daughter kidney donor and recipient, and examine the strange spiritual relationship organ recipients have with the deceased donors to whom they owe their lives.
From the legend of Dr Frankenstein, to George Washington’s false teeth; from a man who wants his failing body replaced with a better model, to modern operations prolonging the lives of thousands, the story of transplant surgery is both strange and inspiring.
While there are legends of transplant surgery as far back as the Second Century, the reality of organs being taken from one body to be part of another is less than fifty years old.
Now kidney, heart and lung transplants are being performed every day and have improved the lives of thousands of people. But the science is new and the possibilities are endless.
Kill or Cure: Transplants follows a father and daughter kidney donor and recipient: an operation fraught not only with medical risks, but also full of emotion. The episode involves an interview with a quadriplegic man who wants to be the first person to receive a whole body transplant; and examines the strange spiritual relationship organ recipients have with the deceased donors to whom they owe their lives.
Kill or Cure: Transplants will take you from Frankenstein to the future.
