History of Blood - Gloria Kaliman

Egyptians used bloodletting to try to cure diseases

2500 BCE

The doctor would open a vein with a lancet or sharpened piece of wood, causing blood to flow out into a waiting receptacle.

Greeks distinguished between arteries and veins

500 BCE

Philosopher Galen studied the circulatory system and developed theories that led to the distinction between arteries and veins. Philosopher Harvey piggy-backed off of Galen's theories and proved that veins and arteries are different and were connected in a circuit, circulating the same blood between them.

Anton van Leewenhoek viewed blood cells under a microscope

1659

Antoni is widely known as the discoverer of red blood cells, his observations were more detailed and numerous than anyone in his time. He studied animal and human blood cells. However, throughout his years of study he failed to view blood cells as spheres.

First blood transfusion performed

1795

The first blood transfusions attempted were often unsuccessful and proved fatal in humans. The first successful transfusion was performed by Richard Lower on a dog. The first successful transfusion, in America, on a human was done by Philip Syng Physick.

Karl Landsteiner discovered the three blood types (A, B, O)

1901

Landsteiner found that when the blood of two different people came into contact it agglutinated. This happened because of the bloods contact with blood serum. He used this information to identify the three blood types. After this discovery, blood transfusions became way more successful.

Alfred Decastello discovered the fourth blood type (AB)

1902

Decastello worked under Landsteiner and continued his studies to discover the AB blood type.

Percy Oliver established the first blood donor service

1922

Oliver got a call from a nearby hospital who was in urgent need of a blood donor, he went and witnessed the first voluntary blood donation. He and his wife set up a panel of blood donors locally. Every donor had their health and blood details checked by the hospital and kept on record.

Mayo Clinic developed a method to store blood for transfusions

1935

Dr. Bernard Fantus established the first blood bank

1937

Fantus was aware of how important it was to have access to blood for transfusions and the lack of accessibility at the tine. Fantus was introduced to the idea of blood being stored and realized the amount of possibilities and the amount of lives that could be saved if there was easy access to blood. The first blood bank was in a room at the Cook County Hospital in Chicago.

Karl Landsteiner discovered the Rh protein

1940

The Rh protein is an antigen on the surface of red blood cells. This discovery led to more discoveries about pregnancies and how a pfetus' blood type can cause problems. Doctors were able to use this information to prevent injury to the fetus and the mother.

First case of AIDS recorded in the Congo

1959

Scientists found HIV in a blood sample taken from a man in the Bantu tribe. The HIV in the sample looked like an ancestor of several subtypes of HIV, which suggested that HIV evolved from a single introduction into the African population. This finding strongly supported the idea that HIV came from simian virus.

Robert Gallo identified the virus causing AIDS

1984

Gallo discovered that HIV is what causes AIDS. He was aware that this mysterious disease was fast becoming the deadliest in history and spent much of his career trying to put an end to this epidemic and other chronic illnesses.

Development of ELISA test to screen for diseases such as HIV

1985

ELISA is a method for detecting specific proteins in the blood ant typically requires that the antigen of interest be immobilized on a solid surface and then complexed with an antibody that is linked to an enzyme. This test is used to determine if you have antibodies related to certain infectious conditions.

Scientists began developing blood-screening tests for infectious diseases

1987

Once HIV was discovered, several companies began to develop tests to screen blood by detecting antibodies that would indicate exposure to a virus, such as the ELISA test. These tests are very prevalent in today's world and are very helpful in detecting and treating viruses.