“Wicomb?’
‘Yes, professor?’
‘Is the heart in a good condition?’
How the hell should I know? It’s been in storage for more than sixteen hours, the machine did not supply oxygen and nutrients for a while, and I did not know what the heat in the storage compartment of the aeroplane had done. Then, I thought of the stories we had heard about Barnard, especially the one in which he was faced with a patient they could not
wean off the heart-lung machine. The world-renowned professor promptly summonsed Jacques Losman to the theatre, ordering him to bring a baboon – talk about taking risks. Barnard was the biggest risk-taker of them all.
‘This heart, Professor, is fit for an Olympic athlete. It’s the finest specimen you’ll ever handle.’
Barnard stopped operating as he glanced at me. ‘Taking a chance, Wicomb?”
―
Amos Van Der Merwe,
Vital Remains: Winston Wicomb, the Heart Transplant Pioneer Apartheid Could Not Stop
