First success
The first successful head transplant, in which one head is replaced by another, is carried out by Robert White at Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine in Cleveland, Ohio. The head of one monkey is transplanted onto the body of another. There is no attempt to join the spinal cords so the monkey cannot move its body, but it is able to breathe with artificial assistance. The monkey lives for nine days until its immune system rejects the head.
First attempt
The first attempt at a head transplant is carried out on a dog by Soviet surgeon Vladimir Demikhov. A puppy’s head and forelegs are transplanted onto the back of a larger dog. Demikhov conducts several further attempts but the dogs only survive between two and six days.