Medicine: Baby Fae Loses Her Battle

The baboon heart fails, but a doctor defends the transplant

After 21 days of battling to preserve a fragile life, Dr. Leonard Bailey was visibly spent. His voice trembled and broke with emotion last Friday as he faced the press at Loma Linda University Medical Center in California to provide the epitaph for the dark-haired infant known as Baby Fae. "Today we grieve the loss of this patient's life," said the 41-year-old heart surgeon. That life, he insisted, had not been in vain. "Infants with heart disease yet to be born will some day soon have the opportunity to live, thanks...

Want the full story?

Subscribe Now

Subscribe
Subscribe

Learn more about the benefits of being a TIME subscriber

If you are already a subscriber sign up — registration is free!