ABSTRACT
Since early times the idea of tissue and organ transplantation has captured the imagination of successive generations and, over the centuries, numerous fanciful descriptions of successful transplants have been recorded. One of the most widely cited early examples is that of the Christian Arab Saints Cosmas and Damian who, around 300 AD, were reputed to have successfully replaced the diseased leg of a patient with that from another man who had recently died (Fig. 77.1).
