First heart transplant: an untold story about images
Keywords:
heart transplantation, Mary Maciel, Christiaan Barnard, medical illustration, portuguese school of angiographyAbstract
This article explores the intersection between the history of medicine and medical illustration. It emphasizes that any account of medical history remains incomplete without acknowledging the role of images in the transmission and understanding of medical knowledge, with its origins dating back to early physicians such as Vesalius. The golden age of medical illustration, marked by the work of Max Brödel at the end of the 19th century and the beginning of the 20th century, and the formalization of academic training, set the stage for future illustrators to make immeasurable contributions to the field of medicine. The research focuses on one of Brödel’s exceptional students: Mary Maciel (1906–1990).
Maciel’s underrecognized but essential role in visually documenting the innovative procedures of heart surgeon Christiaan Barnard, after his world-renowned transplant in 1967. Newly revealed archival sources, including original illustrations and correspondence, show how Maciel’s artwork played a pivotal role in disseminating complex surgical knowledge to international audiences. Even as medical imaging technologies advanced, Maciel’s drawings continued to serve as irreplaceable pedagogical tools in medicine. By synthesizing rarely seen materials from institutional archives, this article demonstrates how Maciel’s collaboration with Barnard and her broader influence as an illustrator and educator reaffirm the importance of medical illustration for scientific communication in the history of science and as an art form meriting recognition in art museums.
References
1. Storey C. Then there were 12: The illustrated cranial nerves from Vesalius to Soemmerring. J Hist Neurosci 2022; 31:262–78.
2. Loudon I. Western Medicine: An illustrated history. Oxford: Oxford University Press; 1997.
3. Fye W. Carl Ludwig and the Leipzig Physiological Institute: 'a factory of new knowledge'. Circulation 1996; 74:920–8.
4. Egan N, Isaacson G. Max Brödel—Father of Head and Neck Surgery Illustration. Ear Nose Throat J. 2025; 1455613251342159; Epub ahead of print.
5. Crosby RW, Cody J. Max Brödel: The Man Who Put Art Into Medicine. New York: Springer; 2011.
6. Harvey AM. A Centennial History of Medicine at John Hopkins. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press; 1989.
7. Archer P. A History of The Medical Artists´ Association of Great Britain 1949-1997.[dissertation]. London: University College London; 1998.
8. Wilson-Pauwels L. The Development of academic Programs in Medical Illustration in North America from 1911 to 1991[dissertation]. Toronto: University of Toronto; 1993.
9. Maciel M. From Camels to Cadillacs in North Africa and the Middle East. The Public Library of Cincinnati; 1961.
10. Gorey M. Medical Artist Excels In Highly Specialized Field; Miss Mary Maciel Describes Sketching Of Operation. The Enquirer Cincinnati. 1940 Jul, 7; Sect 54.
11. Medical Artist. Equal Rights - Independent Feminist Weekly. 1935 Sep, 14; Sect 223.
12. Weathers W. Mary Maciel. The Cincinnati Enquirer. 1990 Apr 1.
13. Ghosh SK. Evolution of illustrations in anatomy: a study from the Classical Period in Europe to Modern Times. Anat Sci Educ 2015; 8:175–88.
14. Bradley WG. History of medical imaging. Proc Am Philos Soc 2008; 152:349–61.
15. Veiga-Pires JA, Grainger RG. Pioneers in Angiography - The Portuguese School of Angiography. New York: Springer; 1982.
16. Hendee WR. Cross sectional medical imaging: a history. Radiographics 1989; 9:1155–180.
17. Tong A, Flemming K, McInnes E, Oliver S, Craig J. Enhancing transparency in reporting the synthesis of qualitative research: ENTREQ. BMC Med Res Methodol 2012; 12:181.
18. Correspondence of the Director of the Women's Army Corps, 1942–1946. Women in the U.S. Military, General and Financial Correspondence; 1946. [Archival material].
19. Mary Maciel. Middle East. Cincinnati; 1961.
20. Mary Maciel. Graphics. Richmond: Ass. of Medical Illustrators; 1948.
21. Janeiro C, Amarante J, Andrade JP. Angiography: In the shadow of a non-consensual Nobel. Med Hist. 2025; 9: 1–2.
22. Hubbard T. Famed Medical Illustrator Exhibits Work At Library. The Cincinnati Enquirer 1974. Nov 5.
23. Valentine C. Unique UC School Closes When Founder Retires. The Cincinnati Enquirer 1973. Dec 10.
24. Cooper D. Christiaan Barnard - The surgeon who dared. Fonthill Media; 2017.
25. Cooper D. Christiaan Barnard - The surgeon who dared: The story of the first human-to-human heart transplant. Glob Cardiol Sci Pract. 2018; 2:11.
26. Hessel EA. Forty years ago: lessons for today. J Cardiothorac Vasc Anesth. 2008; 22:3–5.
27. Pereira SV, Pereira R. Bártholo Thumann do Valle Pereira: uma vida dedicada à cirurgia. Combra: Imprensa da Universidade de Coimbra. 2006; p. 235-39.
28. Albers J. She Combines Science, Art. The Cincinnati Enquirer. 1970 Mar 16.
29. Bennettjones D. Mary Maciel: Visionary in Medical Illustration. Cincinnati: University of Cincinnati. 2024 Nov 6.
Downloads
Published
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2026 Catarina Janeiro, Adelino Leite Moreira, José Paulo Andrade
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.
This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0) which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
Transfer of Copyright and Permission to Reproduce Parts of Published Papers.
Authors retain the copyright for their published work. No formal permission will be required to reproduce parts (tables or illustrations) of published papers, provided the source is quoted appropriately and reproduction has no commercial intent. Reproductions with commercial intent will require written permission and payment of royalties.
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.
How to Cite
