SOVIET EXPERIMENTS ON TRANSPLANTATION OF VITAL ORGANS

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP80-00809A000700200220-3
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: U
• Document Page Count: 2
• Document Creation Date: December 22, 2016
• Document Release Date: August 31, 2011
• Sequence Number: 220
• Publication Date: November 8, 1954
• Content Type: REPORT

Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2011/08/31: CIA-RDP80-00809A000700200220-3
STAT
Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2011/08/31: CIA-RDP80-00809A000700200220-3
 Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2011/08/31: CIA-RDP80-00809A000700200220-3
SOVIET EXPERIMENTS ON TRANSPLANTATION OF VITAL ORGANS
[The following info
rmation is taken from an article by Dr V.
Demikhov, chief of the Laboratory for Transplantation of Organs and
Tissues of the Institute of Surgery, Academy of Medical Sciences USSR,
published by Da , Stockholm Communist newspaper, 25 September 1954.
The article discusses recent achievements of Soviet scientists in the
field of transplantation of organs and tissues from one animal to
another.]
Prof N. Simitsyn has transplanted a heart from one frog to another with com-
pletely satisfactory results. Rabbit ovaries have been transplanted, and the does
with transplanted ovaries bore young normally. P. Masayev and P. Chepov have at-
tained significant results in getting amputated dog paws to grow onto the stumps
again. At present, experiments are in progress on transplanting a leg from one
dog to another. Success has also been attained in reattaching severed parts of
rabbits, rats, guinea pigs, sheep, and goats. Prof V. Filatov and his students
transplant human corneas; up to now, they have saved the sight of more than
5,000 people.
Experiments are being performed in interchanging vital organs between dogs.
Success has been attained in transplanting an extra heart into a dog. A section
of the dog's lungs was removed and the heart of another dog was placed beside
the dog's own heart. The extra heart took over half the work of circulating the
blood. Although dogs survive this serious operation relatively easily and after-
wards have completely normal reactions, up to now, it has not been possible to
keep the dogs with two hearts alive for more than 2 1/2 months after the operation.
A number of experiments have been performed on replacing a dog's own heart
and lungs with those of another. In this operation, the new organs are first
transplanted, and then the old ones are removed; thus, the blood circulation is
not stopped even for an instant. The entire operation takes 25-30 minutes,
exclusive of the time required to open and close the chest cavity. A dog on
which this operation has been performed awakens the day after and evidences
normal functions. Recently, a method has been worked out to replace the heart,
but not the lungs, and vice versa. This is technically more difficult, however.
Experiments are also being performed on replacement of the kidneys, the pancreas,
etc.
Professor Kosyakov is doing research on the very important question of the
organism's effect on transplanted tissues and on the possibility of eliminating
harmful reactions in connection therewith. He has found that tissues can be
grouped in the same way as blood. Consequently, this must be taken into con-
sideration in the transplantation of tissues and organs.
Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2011/08/31: CIA-RDP80-00809A000700200220-3