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2500 BCE
Egyptians used bloodletting to try to cure disease
Bloodletting is one of the oldest medical practices and thought to have originated in ancient Egypt. -
500 BCE
Greeks distinguished between between arteries and veins
The ancient Greeks viewed the cardiovascular system as being comprised of arteries and veins -
Anton van Leeuwenhoek viewed blood cells under a microscope
Anton van Leeuwenhoek was the first to see blood cells under a microscope. -
First blood transfusion was performed
Dr. James Blundell performed the first blood transfusion to try to treat hemorrhage. -
Karl Landsteiner discovered three blood types: A, B, O
In 1901, Karl Landsteiner found out that the blood of two people under contact agglutinates and found that this effect was due to contact of blood with blood serum, as a result, he succeeded in identifying the three blood groups. -
Alfred von Decastello discovered the fourth blood type: AB
In 1902, two of Dr. Landsteiner's colleagues, Alfred von Decastello and Adriano Sturli, discovered the fourth blood group: AB -
Percy Oliver established the first blood donor service
In October 1921, as the Honorary Secretary of the Camberwell branch of the Red Cross, Percy Oliver got a call from the nearby King's College Hospital in urgent need of a blood donor. He went to the hospital and saw Sister Linstead, a Red Cross worker, and became the first voluntary blood donor. -
Mayo Clinic developed a method to store blood for transfusions
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Dr. Bernard Fantus established the first blood bank
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Karl Landsteiner discovered the Rh protein
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First case of Aids was recorded in the Congo
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Robert Gallo identified the virus causing AIDS
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Development of ELISA test to screen for diseases such as HIV
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Scientists began developing blood-screening tests for infectious diseases
