The desire of cardiac surgeons to become skilled at heart transplantation increased throughout 1968 despite mounting evidence that the operation neither promised long-term survival nor a better quality of life to patients. This situation amazed many heart doctors. "There ensued what appeared to be an international race to be a member of the me-too brigade. There has not been anything like it in medical annals,"46 wrote cardiologist Irvine Page.

It seemed the excitement over the new technique blinded many experienced surgeons to its limitations. "There is no question in my mind that heart transplants can be done with very low risk-say, 5 percent mortal- ity," said Denton Cooley in 1968. "It will become a rou- tine operation during the next decade. . . . It's only a question now of resolving such details as body rejection and getting people to accept the idea of walking around with someone...