Human health timeline: 1960s
Heart transplants
The first human-to-human heart transplant in 1967 by Professor Christiaan Barnard in South Africa was big news. Few people knew that the operation was the culmination of more than 60 years of preparatory animal research.
Coronary bypass surgerys
A coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) is a surgical procedure widely used to treat coronary heart disease. It diverts blood around narrowed or clogged parts of the major arteries (blood vessels), to improve blood flow and oxygen supply to the heart.
German measles vaccine
Rubella (also known as German measles) is a viral infection that used to be common in children. Rubella is usually a mild infection
MMR vaccine
MMR is the combined vaccine that protects against measles, mumps and rubella. Since the vaccine was introduced in 1988, the number of children who develop these conditions has fallen to an all-time low.
Antidepressants and antipsychotics
Experiments in both humans and animals (rats, mice and non-human primates) provided the first evidence that changes in the levels of chemical messengers in the brain, 'neurotransmitters', could alter an individual's emotional state.
