Boyd Rush

Boyd Rusia Rush (July 4, 1895 – January 24, 1964) was an American retired upholsterer who was the recipient of the world's first heart transplant in the early morning hours of January 24, 1964, at University of Mississippi Medical Center in Jackson, Mississippi. In an emergency fall-back position with no human donor heart available, Boyd's doctor James D. Hardy used one of four chimpanzees he had acquired for just such an eventuality. This transplanted chimpanzee heart beat in Rush's chest for approximately one hour, and then failed with Rush never regaining consciousness.

Rush was born on Independence Day, 1895, in Coldwater, Mississippi. He was white and had a sixth-grade education. During the U.S. draft for World War I, he was living in Enid, Mississippi and working as a day laborer. His physical build was listed as "stout."

In 1936, he married Mary Senora "Nora" Bridges. In 1942, he and his wife were living in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, where he was working at Jack's Cookie Company. He has also been described as a "deaf mute."

James D. Hardy at the University of Mississippi Medical Center, who had previously performed the world's first lung transplant with a dead human donor, had also been impressed by the limited success of Keith Reemtsma in transplanting chimpanzee kidneys into human patients. Hardy acquired four chimpanzees for the possibility of a heart transplant.

Dean of the Medical School Robert Marston and Hardy jointly established conditions for a heart transplant which included, that since a heart transplant was highly experimental, they could only consider a patient already close to death and who had no other hope of survival.

On July 22, 1964, Rush had been found unconscious by neighbors. His lower left leg was black with gangrene, his face was mottled with blood clots, and he only had a faint pulse. All these symptoms were likely caused by his heart's inability to pump enough blood.

Since Rush had been brought to the hospital in a coma, Mrs. J.H. Thompson who was either his sister or stepsister (sources vary) was asked to sign the consent form which made no mention that an animal heart might be used. A 2012 article in the Baylor University Medical Center Proceedings stated, "Such was the medicolegal situation at that time that this 'informed' consent was not considered in any way inadequate." Hardy later stated that he had verbally discussed the procedure in detail with relatives including the possibility of using a chimpanzee heart, although there was only the one relative.

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