The history of solid organ transplantation is traced from its beginnings in
the 19th century to the beginning of the 21st century. Surgical techniques
, advances in immunology, and a review of major immunosuppressive milestone
s are reviewed, Over the last 50 years, transplantation has moved from expe
rimental to accepted clinical therapy. The technology of transplantation ha
s been widely disseminated throughout the United States. This paper reviews
the major ethical and social problems that still need to be addressed in r
egards to transplantation. These include organ supply, organ distribution,
access to care, funding, and xenotransplantation. (C) 2000 by the National
Kidney Foundation, Inc.