blood history timeline

By hannahlong
  • 2500 BCE

    Bloodletting

    Bloodletting
    withdrawing blood from a person's veins for therapeutic purposes.
  • 500 BCE

    Arteries and Veins

    Arteries and Veins
    Arteries and veins are tubes of muscle that your blood flows through. Arteries carry blood away from the heart to the rest of the body. Veins push blood back to your heart.

  • Anton van Leeuwenhoek

    Anton van Leeuwenhoek
    Provide the first accurate descriptions of a red blood cell. He would also go on to use measurements and samples to determine microorganism counts, similar to the process of a complete blood count today.

  • First Blood Transfusion

    First Blood Transfusion
    Philip Syng Physick carried out the first human blood transfusion in 1795.

  • Karl Landsteiner

    Karl Landsteiner
    He observed the agglutination, or clumping together, of red blood cells when mixed with animal blood or other human blood. While Landsteiner was not the first to make these observations, he is credited with being the first to explain the biological processes behind the reaction.

  • Alfred Decastello

    Alfred Decastello
    A year later, Landsteiner's students Adriano Sturli and Alfred von Decastello discovered a fourth blood type, which they termed AB.

  • Percy Oliver

    Percy Oliver
    Founder of the first voluntary blood donor service.

  • Mayo Clinic

    Mayo Clinic
    Collection and Storage of Tissue and Blood Samples

  • Dr. Bernard Fantus

    Dr. Bernard Fantus
    When Dr. Bernard Fantus started the first-ever blood bank nearly 80 years ago at Cook County Hospital, he was looking for a way to ensure that patients in dire need of a blood transfusion wouldn’t have to endure a frantic search to find a matching donor, as blood could be safely stored for just a few days.

  • Karl Landsteiner

    Karl Landsteiner
    Additionally, Landsteiner researched the Rh blood factor, a protein marker on the surface of blood cells and that can impact pregnancy.

  • AIDS

    AIDS
    Researchers say they have traced the first case of HIV infection to a man living in the Belgian Congo back in 1959.

  • Robert Gallo

    Robert Gallo
    He is best known for his role in establishing the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) as the infectious agent responsible for acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS) and in the development of the HIV blood test, and he has been a major contributor to subsequent HIV research.

  • ELISA

    ELISA
    ELISA development involves choosing a format, gathering the needed components, and constructing a working protocol. ELISA optimization involves systematically adjusting and testing the many components and variables to help ensure results are robust and accurate.

  • Developing Blood-Screening

    Developing Blood-Screening
    What is done during the test and what is measured. Prior to donating blood, all donors will receive a free health screening. At the time of your donation, your blood pressure, hemoglobin, and pulse will be checked. We record these vitals in your online donor profile.