Cape Town has for many years held the title of being the city that carried out the world’s first successful human heart transplant.

Now we have a new, slightly more risqué bragging right in the medical field.

Today the world’s first successful penile transplant was performed at the medical department at the University of Stellenbosch. The operation, described as ‘groundbreaking’, involved doctors successfully transplanting the functioning appendage on to a 21-year-old patient who had suffered severe complications from a botched circumcision procedure almost three years ago.

Although the nine-hour surgery was performed in December, it was announced today that the appendage is now fully functioning.

I’m not entirely certain what constitutes ‘functioning’, but this is huge news for us and the medical world nonetheless. Go Cape Town!

Read more here.

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