Joseph Murray

Joseph Edward Murray was an American plastic surgeon who performed the first successful human kidney transplant and awarded the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 1990. He died today in his 94^th year. This is a brief astrological sketch of him in the light of nadi rules.

1^st April 1919

This Chart is prepared for 6 AM for 90W. Moon is placed in Pisces. Moon will move into Aries during the day. By looking at the events in the life of the native I feel Moon will be in Aries.

Jeevakaraka Jupiter is placed in the intellectual sign Gemini having Ketu in the 12^th and Saturn in the 2^nd. Sun-Mars-Mercury are placed in the 10^th and Moon-Venus is placed in the 11^th from Jupiter. Jupiter has exchanged signs with Mercury and hence will move over to Pisces getting the association of Sun-Mars and having Moon-Venus in the 2^nd, Ketu in the 3^rd, Mercury in the 4^th and Saturn in the 5^th in a sequence. Saturn, the karmakaraka is retrograde in Cancer in the last degree. Jupiter is placed in the 12^th, Ketu in the 11^th and Moon-Venus in the 10^th from Saturn. Saturn meets Rahu first. Further retrogradation of Saturn brings him to Gemini getting the association of Jupiter and as retrograde Mercury moves to Aquarius the sign exchange between Saturn and Mercury brings Saturn to Aquarius having Sun-Mars in the 2^nd, Venus in the 3^rd, Ketu in the 4^th and Jupiter-Mercury in the 5^th in a sequence.

The multiple planetary influences formed between planets because of the retrogression and sign exchange may appear to be confusing at first but a careful perusal of these influences will be indispensible to get a correct grasp of the life purpose of a native.

Jupiter-Saturn association indicates that the native will have a respectable profession and Jupiter about to enter his exaltation indicates great improvement in life of the native. Jupiter-Saturn-Mercury association in Gemini shows that the entire life of the native will be based on intellectual pursuits. Jupiter getting the association of Sun-Mars and having Moon-Venus in the 2^nd and Ketu in the 3^rd is one yoga which added with the combination of Saturn having Sun-Mars in the 2^nd, Moon-Venus in the 3^rd, Ketu in the 4^th and Jupiter-Mercury in the 5^th indicates that the native will be a doctor (Venus-Ketu) and a surgeon (Sun-Mars) dealing with the life of people (Jupiter-Saturn). Jupiter having Venus in the 11^th and 2^nd, Saturn having Venus in the 10^th and 11^th indicate that the native’s life will be comfortable and wealthy.

Jupiter-Saturn association always indicates a good longevity provided other supportive factors are present in the chart. Further Jupiter having Sun-Mars-Mercury in the 10^th and getting the association of his friends Sun-Mars after sign exchange with Jupiter also indicates a long life. Jupiter about to enter his exaltation sign where he meets his friend Saturn indicates a long and fruitful life.

Jupiter having Ketu in the 12^th and Saturn in the 2^nd indicates a deep spiritual and philosophical basis for the life and work of the native.

Murray was born the son of William A. Murray and Mary DePasquale and grew up in Milford, Massachusetts. Father was a lawyer and a District Court Judge, mother a school teacher.

Sun, the planet ruling over father, is placed with Mars and Mercury and gets the association of Jupiter by sign exchange. This explains his position as a lawyer (Mercury-Mars are enemies fighting between themselves) who resolves disputes and as a judge holding hign position (Jupiter with Sun and Sun meeting Jupiter-Saturn ahead). Moon, the significator for mother, is placed along with Venus having Ketu in the 2^nd and Jupiter-Mercury association in the 3^rd explaining her job as a teacher (Jupiter-Mercury association generally indicates educational institutions).

He was a star athlete at the Milford High School. Murray excelled in football, ice hockey, and baseball. Upon graduation, Murray attended the College of the Holy Cross intending to play baseball. The baseball practices and lab schedules conflicted forcing him to give up baseball.

Jupiter involved in a sign exchange with Mercury and getting the association of Mars indicates his active involvement in sports and game and other physical activities. Mercury, the ruler of education, is involved in sign exchange with Jupiter indicating a high level of educational qualification. Mercury with Sun and Mars having Venus in the 2^ndand Ketu in the 3^rd indicates his education in medicine and surgery (Mars-Sun combination stands for surgery and Sun-Venus-Ketu association/arrangement stands for medicine).

Murray later attended Harvard Medical School. After graduating from medical school, Murray joined the US Army, where he studied surgery at Valley Forge General Hospital in Pennsylvania.

Saturn in the last degree of Cancer also exerts an influence equal to its presence in Leo. Furthermore, Saturn getting the association of Sun-Mars in the 10^th and 2^nd owing to his retrogression and sign exchange explains his stint with the US army. This might have happened when he was running 20-25 years and Saturn would be transiting Pisces and Aries at that time.

23^rd Dec 1954

On 23^rd December 1954, Murray performed the world's first successful renal transplant between the identical Herrick twins at the Peter Bent Brigham Hospital; he was assisted in this task by J. Hartwell Harrison, M.D. and other noted physicians.

It can be seen that Jupiter was transiting over natal Saturn in Cancer while Saturn was transiting over Libra opposite to natal Venus-Moon in Aries. This is a most favorable transit indicating the landmark achievement in his life.

In 1959, he performed the world's first successful allograft and, in 1962, the world's first cadaveric renal transplant. Throughout the following years, Murray became an international leader in the study of transplantation biology, the use of immunosuppressive agents, and studies on the mechanisms of rejection. In the 1960s, the discovery of anti-rejection drugs such as azathioprine, imuran and prednisone, allowed Murray to carry out transplants from unrelated donors.

Murray served as chief plastic surgeon at Children's Hospital Boston from 1972–1985 and retired as professor of Surgery Emeritus in 1986 from Harvard Medical School.

The transit of Saturn throughout in the 2^nd round saw him scale heights in his research as a transplantation biologist and researcher. His career has started when Saturn was transiting Aquarius-Pisces and it developed further as Saturn moved in the zodiac that reached its zenith during the 2^nd round of Saturn. This is explained by the fact that in the natal chart though Saturn has no planets ahead to meet except Rahu in Scorpio, retrogression of Saturn will bring a sequence of planets ahead to meet occupying 4 signs ahead.

Personal life

June 15^th 1945

He married Virginia Link in June 1945, with whom he had three sons and three daughters. He enjoyed tennis, biking and swimming. His wife pursued music professionally for 15 years after marriage.

He married at the age of 26 when Saturn was transiting over natal Jupiter and Jupiter was in Leo. In the natal chart Venus is with Moon having Ketu in the 2^nd and Mercury-Jupiter in the 3^rd indicating that the wife will be an artist (Venus with Moon) and will earn name and fame (Ketu) because of her artistic and intellectual attainments (Mercury-Jupiter). Jupiter gets the association of many planets and meets all of them in his transits from his exchanged place. This indicates many issues. Venus-Moon combination having Ketu in the 2^nd stands for 3 daughters while Jupiter getting the association of Sun-Mars-Saturn indicates 3 sons. Mercury can be omitted from the counting as he is debilitated and has his enemy Moon in the 2^nd.

In 2001, Murray published his autobiography, Surgery of the Soul: Reflections on a Curious Career, which doubles as a story of 14 of his experiences and the struggles with them.

Mars-Mercury combination, Mercury-Ketu association and Jupiter-Mercury association in the 2^nd, 11^th, 10^th or 7^th from Saturn generally indicates writing and publishing. In 2001, Saturn was moving in Taurus over natal Ketu while Jupiter was transiting his natal position in Gemini indicating the fructification of promise held in the natal chart.

Murray died on November 26, 2012 at age 93. He suffered a stroke at his suburban Boston home on Thanksgiving and died at Brigham and Women's Hospital.

On the day of his death transit Jupiter is moving with transit Ketu in Taurus which lodges the natal Ketu. Transit Saturn is in Libra confronting both the natal and transit Rahu.

26^th Nov 2012