HMS Surgeon Who Oversaw First Human Organ Transplant Dead at 88

The Harvard Medical School (HMS) flag flew at half-staff yesterday in recognition of the death of Francis Daniels Moore ’35, Moseley professor of surgery, emeritus.

Moore, a pioneer in the field of surgery who oversaw the first successful human organ transplant, died last Saturday of heart failure at the age of 88.

Moore became surgeon-in-chief at Peter Bent Brigham Hospital, now Brigham & Women’s Hospital, as well as HMS’s Moseley professor of surgery, in 1948.

He held both positions for 28 years and retained his professorship until his retirement in 1981.

Nicholas L. Tilney ’58, who is currently the Moore professor of surgery at HMS, first met Moore in 1964 and describes him as truly inspirational.

“Dr. Moore was always there encouraging [and] exhorting, and he was a real mentor to all of us,” Tilney said.

Tilney said Moore was a force in his field, “incredibly capable and bright, tremendously enthusiastic, with an ability to get everyone excited about the area of surgery.”

Moore led the way in the development of organ transplantation and heart surgery methods, heading the team that performed the first organ transplant in 1954, transferring a kidney between identical twins.

“He had a gift for mentoring people and organizing them for a big project,” said Moore’s son, Francis D. Moore Jr. ’72.

Additionally, Moore was on the forefront of researching the effects of trauma on the body, whether the trauma was in the form of elective surgery, a car accident or severe burns.

“He really advanced knowledge about wound healing,” Tilney said.

Moore wrote a medical best-seller about the metabolic care of surgical patients, which Tilney describes as “gigantically important and the definitive work on the subject.”

Ever the pioneer, Moore also was “one of the first to concentrate on breast cancer research,” Tilney said.

His son said his greatest legacy will be “the number of people he helped motivate in the field of surgery.”

“He influenced an immense number of medical students and surgeons, at least 1,500 directly,” he said.

Memorial services for Moore will be held on Saturday, Dec. 1 at 2 p.m. at the First Congregational Church in Marion, Mass. and on Dec. 21 at 11 a.m. at Memorial Church in Harvard Yard.