“SA-Born”: CoolStoryBru Shows Five SA Doctors Who Made World History in Medicine
- A Western Cape man shared a video breaking down five times South African doctors and scientists made world history in medicine
- South Africa's medical achievements changed how doctors treat patients around the world
- People commented with pride, though some questioned who really deserves credit for a few of the achievements
Source: Facebook
A Western Cape content creator had South Africans beaming with national pride after dropping a video that reminded the country just how much it's contributed to medicine globally. @CoolStoryBru shared the clip on 27 April 2026 with the caption:
"Five times South Africa made HISTORY in the medical field."
He walked through five moments. First is Dr Christiaan Barnard, who performed the world's first human-to-human heart transplant on 3 December 1967 at Groote Schuur Hospital in Cape Town. The recipient was Louis Washkansky, and the donor was Denise Darvall. It was a moment that made headlines around the world and put South Africa firmly on the medical map.
Then, in December 2014, a team at Stellenbosch University and Tygerberg Hospital, led by Professor André van der Merwe, performed the world's first successful long-term male organ transplant. The 21-year-old recipient regained full function within three months.
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In 2019, Professor Mashudu Tshifularo and his team at the University of Pretoria and Steve Biko Academic Hospital performed the world's first middle-ear transplant using 3D-printed titanium bones. This one gave hope to people with certain types of conductive hearing loss that had previously been untreatable.
Going further back, Dr Percy Amoils invented the retinal cryoprobe in 1965. This is a device that uses extreme cold to remove cataracts safely and has revolutionised eye surgery worldwide. He later used it to treat Nelson Mandela in 1994.
Finally, two South African-born scientists won Nobel Prizes for medicine. Max Theiler won in 1951 for developing the yellow fever vaccine. Alan Cormack won in 1979 for co-developing the CT scan. This is a well-known machine used in hospitals across the entire world every single day.
Watch the Facebook clip below:
SA praises doctors who made world history
South Africans had a lot to say about Facebook user @CoolStoryBru's clip:
@JackieBrand wrote:
"Now that's cool, Bru!!!"
@SugenGovender said:
"Proudly South African."
@LindokuhleKhoza added:
"We are the GREATEST."
@BillyMacleod wrote:
"It's very sad that we were the first to do a heart transplant, and in 2026, we're one of the worst countries for organ donation. It's so easy to become a donor, but we live in our own worlds, not thinking of tomorrow."
@LawrenceBasson said:
"Chris Barnard wasn't the first; Hamilton Naki was. I saw a clip of Chris saying how amazing that guy was. He always operated on animal hearts, and Chris said he told Hamilton what to do during the operation."
@LungaMazibuko added:
"The heart transplant story is incomplete. There's an entire movie on it. The doctor had an assistant who was self-taught — it's a long story."
@MaryMilneArchibald shared:
"The first kidney transplant from an HIV-positive donor to an HIV-positive recipient was done at Groote Schuur Hospital by Professor Elmi Muller at Stellenbosch University."
Source: Facebook
More South Africans making history
- Briefly News recently reported on rapper Shebeshxt becoming the first South African artist to win Song of the Year from behind bars.
- A Tembisa woman was awarded a prestigious Presidential Fellowship at Northwestern University in the United States.
- KwaZulu-Natal doctors removed a brain tumour without making a single external cut, and the method they used to reach it had the medical world paying close attention.
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Source: Briefly News
