Going out on a limb

  • 02/12/1997

Pioneering surgeons used to wait until the operation before claiming their 15 minutes of fame. Not anymore. In Louisville, US, last week a team of doctors announced their intention to perform "the world's first successful hand transplant"-using a limb from a fresh cadaver-before lifting a scalpel or even picking a patient. The hand contains 27 bones, 28 muscles, three main nerves and various tendons and veins. The team will then move to tendons, arteries and nerves.