The History of Blood Transfusions Marguerite Spring 2011
“Science, my lad, is made up of mistakes, but they are mistakes which it is useful to make, because they lead little by little to the truth.” Jules Verne
Early Theories Galen’s theory of the function of the heart Bloodletting Blood and personal traits
William Harvey (1578 – 1657) 1616: Harvey calculated that blood flows at the rate of 8640 oz/hr and discovered that blood circulates throughout the body Wrote Exercitatio anatomica de motu cordis et sanguinis in animalibus in which he reported his findings The Paris Faculty of Medicine
Jean-Baptist Denis (c – 1704) In 1667, Denis performed the first human blood transfusion on a 15 year old boy Denis performed a second transfusion on Antoine Mauroy The Paris Faculty of Medicine
Years later… 1829 – James Bundell carried out the first human-to-human blood transfusion 1849 – C.H.F. Routh reviewed all blood transfusions to date and deemed that they were relatively safe. Total blood transfusions: 48 Total fatalities: 18 Hemolytic Reactions
Karl Landsteiner Identified A, B, and C blood types ( type C was later renamed type O) While working at the Pasture Institute, Landsteiner discovered the Rh-factor Won the 1930 Nobel Prize for Medicine
Works Cited Biographies. n.d. ilab.org. Web. 26 April Davidson, Alvin. Veins and Arteries etc.usf.edu. Web. 19 April De Mortu Cordis savebloodsavelives.org. Web. 19 April Foster, Ellsworth D. Heart. n.d. etc.usf.edu. 12 April Gray, Henry. The Aorta. bartleby.com Web. 26 April La Grand Guerre world-war-pictures.com. Web. 26 April Learoyd, Phil. A Short History of Blood Transfusion. The National Blood Service Web. 25 April Riou, Édouard. n.d. jv.gilead.org.il. Web. 12 April 2011.
Works Cited Riou, Édouard. n.d. allposters.co.uk. Web. 27 April The Encyclopedia Britannica, New Warner Edition. Romney Marsh Breed etc.usf.edu. Web. 19 April Tucker, Holly. Blood Work: a tale of medicine and murder in the scientific revolution. New York: W.W. Norton & Company, Print. Udwadia, Farokh Erach. “William Harvey’s Discovery of Blood Circulation.” Great Medical Discoveries. Ed. Shane, C.J. Michigan: Greenhaven Press, Print. Verne, Jules. “Journey to the Center of the Earth.” litquotes.com Web. 28 April Woodward, Billy, Joel Shurkin, and Debra Gordon. Scientists Greater Than Einstein. California: Quill Driver Books, Print.