The History and Basics of Blood

By hunter1197
  • Jan 1, 1250

    Mid 1200s

    Ibn al-Nafis described how blood flows to the lungs for oxygen from the heart.

  • First Description of Red Blood Cells

    The first person to see and describe red blood cells with a microsocope is a 21-year-old scientist named Jan Swammerdam.

  • Capillary System Discovered

    The Capillary System is seen and discovered and described for the first time by an Italian anatomist, Marcello Malpighi.

  • First Recorded Blood Transfusion

    The first recorded blood transfusion was performed using dogs. This happened in England by Richard Lower.

  • First Transfusion Using Animal Blood in a Human

    A teenager with a constant fever receives a transfusion with 9 ounces of lambs blood. The lamb was directly connected to the boys arm and the boy survived without anything bad happening.

  • Blood Coagulation

    William Hewson, a British Anatomist, wrote about his research on blood coagulation and clotting. He also was able to isolate fibrogen from plasma which is used in the clotting process.

  • First Unpublished Human-to-Human Blood Transfusion

    A medical journal noted and gavePhilip Syng Physick for performing the first human-to-human blood transfusion but it wasnt recorded or documented.

  • First Recorded Human-to-Human Blood Transfusion

    James Blundell, a British Obstetrician and Phusiologist, did the first official documented and recorded human-to-human blood transfusion. He used a syringe and gave the patient 12-14 ounces of blood from multiple people. The patient died after they showed promising improvement.

  • Bone Marrow Discovered

    Sir William Osler discovered the small fragments found in clots found in blood vesses are fragments of bone marrow and they are fragments are called platelets.

  • Blood Types Discovered

    Karl Landsteiner wrote about his findings in the first three different blood types - A, B, and C. C chanes to O later.

  • Blood Type AB is Discovered

    Alfrfed von Decastellon and Adriano Sturli discover a fourth blood type named AB. These two doctors also work with Karl Landsteiner.

  • Donor and Patient Blood Testing

    Dr Ludvig Hektoen recommended that a patient receiving blood transfusions get their blood tested to match blood with the donor. This is called cross-matching and he performed the first cross-matching transfusion.

  • Short Term Blood Storage - Few Days

    Dr. Richard Lewisohn that he could add sodium citrated with blood to keep it thin and refrigerate it for a few days and have a successfull transfusion.

  • Medium Term Blood Storage - Few Weeks

    Fraqncis Peyton Rous and JR Turner made a new solution called citrate-glucose that they added to blood that made it to where you could refrigerate and store blood for a few weeks and use it in a successful transfusion.

  • First Blood Depot

    Dr. Oswald Robertson with the US Army, collected Type-O blood with citrate-glucose and used the collection to transfuse blood in WWI soldiers that were in need. The storage of this collection is what gives him rights to have the First Blood Depot.

  • Blood Donor Service

    Percy Lane Oliver started a service where donors were placed on a special phone list where the donor would be on 24 hour call in case of an emergency. They would go give blood when needed. He started and operated this organization out of his London home.

  • Human Transfusions with Cadaver Blood

    This was the first time that a dead human's blood was attempted to be used in a live patient. It was tried on a man who tried to kill himself by slicing his wrists. Dr Serge Yudin was the first to try this out.

  • Blood Transfusioins Takein to the Front Lines of War

    Dr Federico Duran-Jorda collected, tested, and grouped the blood, stored it and refrigerated it and used an invention to transport the blood to the front lines of the Spanish Civil War.

  • Unknown Antibody

    A mother gave birth to a stillborn that had a blood antibody inherited from the father. Drs. Karl Landsteiner and Alexander Wiener discovered this as the Rh blood group.

  • Plasma Shortage in Britain

    There was a blood plasma shortage in Britan so the US tried to assist in helping. Dr. Charles Drew developed a way to separate and preserve the plasma for shipment overseas through using the Red Cross.

  • 13 Million Units of Blood

    Surgeon General of US Army, Navy, and Red Cross work together to collect blood and plasma for the war effort. This blood was used to assist Pearl Harbor soldiers.

  • X-Rays and Crystals

    X-Rays were shot into crystals that revealed the hemoglobin which is the piece of blood that caries the oxygen.

  • Discovery of GRID

    GRID or Gay-related Immunodeficiency Diseas was discovered and later renamed AIDS or Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome.

  • HIV

    Dr. Robert Gallo identified the firus that causes AIDS. He called it HIV.

  • Standardized Blood Testing Implemented

    Many people died as a result of being infected with AIDS after a blood transfusion. The ELISA test became adopted and licensed by the US govenmnent. Nobody has been credited with the credits but the US and French share credit for it.