Not only can we claim the first heart transplant courtesy of Dr. Christiaan Barnard, but now us Saffas can stand tall and claim the world’s first successful penile transplant.

Now no one knows quite what happened to the recipient’s male bits but the University of Stellenbosch’s medical department announced today that doctors successfully transplanted a penis onto a human being at Belville’s Tygerberg Hospital in December of last year. News24 carries this:

The operation, led by SU’s Division of Urology head Prof Andre van der Merwe, lasted a marathon nine-hours. It was the first time a successful long-term result was achieved, after one previous attempt failed.

Apparently the recipient managed to get his downstairs dangler in working order far sooner than expected, with doctors originally banking on a two-year time frame until the organ became fully functional.

The donor was fitted with a penis fashioned from abdominal skin so that he could be buried with a todger of his own.

There you have it. Here’s hoping the recipient was furnished with a big swinger and can put it to good use in the not too distant future.

[source:news24]