The History of Blood

By s.coley
  • 2500 BCE

    Bloodletting

    Egyptians used bloodletting, removing one's blood and transferring it, to try and cure diseases.
  • 500 BCE

    Discovery of Veins and Arteries

    Greels distringueshed a difference between veins and arteries. Arteries carry blood that contain oxygen, towards the muscles.
    Veins carry blood that have already used the oxygen, and push the blood back to the heart to be reused.

  • Looking Up Close

    Anton Van Leeuwenhoek used a microscope to view blood cells up close.

  • Transfusion

    The first blood transfusion was conducted.
    A blood transfusion is when you take someone's donated blood, and transfer it to another person.

  • Discovery of Blood Types

    Karl Landsteiner discovered types: A, B, and O

  • Additional Blood Types Discovered

    Alfred Decastello discovered type AB blood.

  • Donating Services

    Percy Oliver established the first donor service

  • Blood Transfusion Storage

    Mayo Clinic developed a way to store blood for transfusions.

  • Blood Banks

    Dr. Bernard Fantus established the first blood bank.

  • Rh Protiens

    Karl Landsteiner discovered the Rh proteins. The Rh discovery had immediate practical importance because it explained a relatively common medical disorder known as "Erythroblastosis Fetalis"

  • AIDS

    The first case of AIDS was recorded in the Congo. HIV (Human Immunodificiency Virus) attacks cells in the immune system that destroys a type of white blood cells called a T-Helper cell, and makes copies of itself inside these cells. AIDS (Aquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome) is a set of symptoms caused by HIV. A person s said to have AIDS when their immune system is to comprimised to fight off infections, and they develop certain defining symptoms and illnesses. This will lead to death.

  • Cause of AIDS

    Robert Gallo identified the virus that causes aids.

  • ELISA Testing

    The development of a new test called ELISA ( Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay) to screen for diseases such as HIV by detecting and measuring antibodies in blood.

  • Personal Testing

    Scientists began developing blood-screening tests for infectious diseases.