Blood Timeline

By mrnateguy
  • Jan 1, 1250

    Eminent Cairo Physician Discovery

    A physician, assisted by author of Ib-al-Nafis discovers the flow of blood to and from the lungs - also known as pulmonary circulation.
  • Jan 1, 1553

    Michael Servetus

    Michael Servetus, a Spanish physician, suggests that blood goes from the heart to the lungs.
  • Feb 26, 1555

    Galen Criticism

    The "Italian Andreas Vesalius" criticizes Galen on his works.

  • Fabricius

    Fabricius, an anatomist from Padua, publishes his works which includes the first known drawings of the veins.

  • William Harvey

    William Harvey publishes his works, "Exercitatio Anatomica de Motu Cordis et Sanguinis in Animalibus." The book states that blood is pumped from the heart, which then circulates within the body.

  • Jan Swammerdam & Red Blood Cells

    Jan Swammerdam, whom was a 21-year-old Dutch microscopist, is believed to be the first person to observe red blood cells and describe his observations.

  • Marcello Malpighi Observes Capillary System

    Italian anatomist Marcello Malpighi is able to obeserve the capillary system using a rudimentary microscope.

  • Richard Lower Performs First Recorded Blood Transfusion in Animals

    In England, Rich Lower performed the first recorded blood tranfusion on two dogs, using a crude make-shift syringe.

  • Jean-Baptiste Denis Transfuses Boys With Animal Blood

    Jean-Baptiste Denis, a French physician, transfuses a teennage boy with lamb blood. He goes on to repeat the procedure two more times, until the fatality of Antoine Mauroy, who was transfused with calf blood.

  • Dr. Dennis Gets Butthurt

    Dennis sues Antoine Mauray's widow in 1668 due to her damaging his reputation. The case results in banishment of tranfusions of all humans.

  • Anton van Leeuwenhoek Has A Long Name So No Title For This One

    Anton van Leeuwenhoek, a Dutch microscopist, describes red blood cells in much more detail, giving a clearer and more precise description, even stating that they are "25,000 times smaller than a grain of sand."

  • William Hewson

    William Hewson describes blood coagulation, among other things, in his book, even finding a substance which is now known as fibrogen.

  • Philip Syng Physick Performs First Human to Human Blood Transfusion

    Philip Syng Physick, as seen on a medical footnote, performs first human to human blood transfusion, despite his work not being published.

  • James Blundell Performs First Recorded Human to Human Blood Transfusion

    James Blundell, British obstetrician and physiologist, performs the first human to human blood transfusion, using blood from donations and injecting the patient with 12 to 14 ounces of blood via syringe.

  • Sir William Osler Discovers Platelets

    Sir William Osler observes that "small cell fragments" create the blood clots formed in vessels. We now know these as platelets.

  • Karl Landsteiner Discovers Different Blood Types.

    Austrian physician Karl Landsteiner publishes his discovery of the three different types of blood.

  • Dr. Landsteiner's Buddy's Help Out a Bit.

    Karl Landsteiner's colleagues publish the discovery of the fourth blood type, AB.

  • Dr. Ludvig Hektoen

    Dr. Ludvig Hektoen recommends cross-matching blood donation donators with patients before the transfusion.

  • Dr. Reuben Ottenberg

    Dr. Reuben Ottenberg, of Mount Sinai Hospital in New York, successfully uses Dr. Ludvig Hektoen's advice in over 128 cases.

  • Researches discover that sodium citrate prevents blood from clotting.

    Researchers Albert Hustin of Brussels and Luis Agote of Buenos Aires discover that adding sodium citrate to blood may prevent it from clotting.

  • Dr. Richard Lewisohn formulates optimum sodium citrate concentrate

    Dr. Richard Lewisohn, at New York's Mount Sinai Hospital formulates the optimum sodium citrate concentrate to prevent coagulation.

  • Francis Peyton Rous and J.R. Turner develop citrate glucose.

    At the Rockefeller Institute in New York, Francis Peyton Rous and J.R. Turner develop a citrate-glucose solution that allows blood to be stored and still be used for blood transfusion.

  • Oswald Robertson

    While working in the military, Dr. Oswald Robertson collects O type blood with citrate glucose solution, effectively developing the first blood depot.

  • Percy Lane Oliver begins blood donation service.

    Percy Lane Oliver begins a blood donation service out of his home.

  • Dr. Serge Yudin resuscitates young man.

    Dr. Serge Yudinof the Sklifosovsky Institute in Moscow, resuscitates a young man whom has attempted suicide by slashing both of his wrists.

  • Anesthesiologists begin storing citrated blood.

    A group of anesthesiologists at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, MN, began storing citrated blood and donating it for hospital use.

  • Federico Duran-Jorda

    Physician Federico Duran-Jorda established the Barcelona Blood-Transfusion Service.

  • Dr. Bernard Fantus coins term "blood bank"

    Dr. Bernard Fantus coins term "blood bank" to describe blood donation, preservation etc.

  • Drs. Philip Levine and R.E. Stetson uncover unknown antibody

    In 1939, Drs. Philip Levine and R.E. Stetson uncover an unknown antibody in the blood of a woman who's given birth to a stillborn, and postulate that a factor in the blood of the fetus, inherited from the father, triggers the antibody production in the mother.

  • . Karl Landsteiner and Alexander Wiener discover the Rh blood group

    Through experimentation with Rhesus monkeys, Wiener and Landstiener discover the Rh blood group.

  • Dr. Charles Drew runs Plasma of Britain campaign

    A shortage of plasma during WW2 causes the US to create the Plasma of Britain campaign, ran by Dr. Charles Drew. He finds a suitable substitute for blood.

  • Dr. Isidor Ravdin treats pearl harbor victims with donated blood

    Dr. Isidor Ravdin treats victims of Pearl Harbor with collected donated blood from the American Red Cross.

  • Dr. Paul Beeson

    Dr. Paul Beeson links the occurence of jaundice to blood plasma in the Journal of the American Medical Association.

  • American Association of Blood Banks forms

    As an alternative to Red Cross post-war blood banks opening across the country, independent community directors of blood banks joined together to form the American Association of Blood Banks.

  • Dr. Carl W. Walter develops a plastic bag used to collect blood

    Dr. Carl W. Walter "revolutionizes" blood collection by making the change from storing blood in bottles to plastic bags.

  • Dr. Max Perutz reveals structure of hemoglobin

    Using X-Ray cystallography, Dr. Max Perutz of the University of Cambridge is able to unveil the structure of hemoglobin.

  • Dr. Judith Pool

    Dr. Judith Pool, an American physiologist at Stanford University, discovers that hemophiliacs did not require trips to the hospital to be treated.

  • Doctors produce highly concentrated Factor VIII

    By pooling large quantities of plasma that generate large amounts of cyro, doctors Kenneth M. Brinkhous and Edward Shanbrom produce highly concentrated Factor VIII.

  • Dr. Baruch Blumberg

    After the swap of blood banking in July, Dr. Baruch Blumberg identifies a substance on the surface of the hepatitis B virus that triggers the production of antibodies.

  • AIDS is discovered and renamed

    After some men who had been, rather active, are being reported to have similar symptoms, they diagnose the men with GRID, which is later renamed AIDS.

  • AIDS doesn't have to be just for men

    After cases of hemophiliacs developing GRID, Dr. Bruce Evatt, a specialist in hemophilia, suspects that the syndrome may be blood borne.

  • ELISA test licensed.

    After some dudes got infected with AIDS from blood transfusions the ELISA test was introduced to screen people for HIV before being allowed to transfuse blood.

  • Claudius Galenus' Initial Discovery

    Galen believes that blood is created in the liver and also hypothesizes that veins and arteries are two different organs.