From vegetarians craving meat to changes in sexual preference, some organ transplant patients report changes to their personality reflecting those of the organ donor. A 2024 study claims to challenge “conventional views of memory and identity” by suggesting organs carry memories and emotions and that the findings raise “ethical and philosophical questions” about transplantation.
In medical history, though, both are already familiar themes. Physician J. Andrew Armour argued that the heart holds memories and feelings in 1991. Nor is there anything new about suggesting organ transplants raise ethical and philosophical questions – they’ve been controversial since their inception in the 1950s.
