Benjamin Milstein
| Benjamin Milstein | |
|---|---|
| Born |
Benjamin Bethel Milstein 30 September 1918 Dublin, Ireland |
| Died | 22 April 2013 (aged 94) |
| Nationality | British |
| Alma mater | University College London |
| Occupation | Cardiothoracic surgeon |
| Known for | Numerous firsts in British heart surgery, experiments in heart transplantation |
Benjamin Bethel Milstein (30 September 1918 – 22 April 2013) was a British surgeon and heart surgery pioneer who was heavily involved in the development of cardiothoracic surgery and early heart transplant attempts. He was a longtime employee of Papworth Hospital, a leading British heart and lung hospital.
Milstein was born in Dublin, Ireland, in 1918, the fourth child of Jewish immigrants Hershel and Rebecca Milstein. The family later moved to London, where Milstein's father worked as a tailor. Milstein studied medicine at University College London, graduating in 1942. As a student, he became a socialist and expressed support for the Republican faction during the Spanish Civil War.
Following his graduation from university, Milstein was immediately conscripted into the Royal Army Medical Corps. He rose to the rank of acting Major, and served in a medical role in France, Belgium, the Netherlands and Germany during the Second World War.
After the war, Milstein trained as a cardiac surgeon at several British hospitals, including the Royal Brompton Hospital and Guy's Hospital. In 1958, he began working as a cardiothoracic surgeon at Papworth Hospital in Cambridgeshire, where he conducted numerous pioneering surgeries, including Britain's first open-heart surgery. In 1969, Milstein and his colleague Roy Calne conducted experiments into heart transplantation, laying the groundwork for Britain's first successful human cardiac transplant, which was conducted at Papworth in 1979 by the South African-born surgeon Terence English.
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