The University of Chicago lays claim to the first successful organ transplant, which occurred 50 years before such operations were carried out in humans. Which animal has been reported as the lucky recipient?

a) A pig, which received a kidney transplant and went on to sire four piglets before succumbing to renal failure
b) A pig, which survived a bladder transplant and was later exhibited at state fairs, providing a young E.B. White with the inspiration for Charlotte’s Web
c) A dog, which received a heart transplant
d) A cat, which lived for 15 minutes after getting a new carotid artery

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Answer: c. Controversial today for his support of eugenics, Dr. Alexis Carrel, who performed this groundbreaking surgery, won the Nobel Prize in 1912, not only for his work in the field of transplants but for developing a procedure for suturing blood vessels.

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