Switching between science and culture in transpecies transplantation

This article discusses xenotransplantation (XTP: the surgical use of nonhum an tissues, organs, and cells for human transplantation) and examines the w ay its scientific promoters have defended their technology against potentia lly damaging public representations. The authors explore the criteria used to legitimate the selection of the pig as the best species from which to "h arvest" transplant tissues in the future. The authors' analysis shows that scientists and medical practitioners routinely switch between scientific an d cultural repertoires. These repertoires enable such actors to exchange ex pert identities in scientific discourse for public identities in cultural d iscourse. These discourses map onto similarities and differences between an imal donors and human hosts. Finally, the case is used to comment on a numb er of related approaches where the dynamics of medical and scientific autho rity are discussed.