An obscure Negro schoolteacher from Indianapolis has made surgical history. Louis B. Russell Jr. has surpassed the record for heart-transplant survival set by Cape Town Dentist Philip Blaiberg, who lived for 594 days after his operation. Although Blaiberg was depicted as being hale and hearty as a Rotarian greeter, a recent book by his widow reveals that he was miserably uncomfortable, if not downright ill during most of his life with his new heart. Russell, who at week's end had survived 603 days, appears to be in far better shape than Blaiberg was.
One reason may be Russell's age: Blaiberg was 58...
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