A history of blood transfusion: a confluence of science—in peace, in war, and in the laboratory
Kevin R. Loughlin Boston, Massachusetts Figure 1- Blood Transfusions -WWI East Sussex. Photo from Wellcome Images. Accessed 10/15/2019. The rudimentary lights provided only dim illumination of the operative field. The three British army surgeons worked feverishly to save the life of the young soldier, Corporal Smith, who had a significant liver injury. He had […]
Alternatives to blood transfusion
Geraldine Miller Liverpool, England Wiliam Harvey demonstrating the circulation of the blood. iStock. In 1616 William Harvey first discovered how blood circulates around the body. This discovery stimulated research into transfusing blood from one person to another. Early attempts to replace blood began with liquids such as milk, both animal and human, urine, and […]
Bad blood
Andrea Dejean Toulouse, France In France, churches, villages and vineyards are rarely very far apart. By Andrea Dejean. The French Blood Agency (l’Établissement français du sang; EFS) organizes frequent blood collection campaigns in the small city where I live in southwestern France. These campaigns are often planned to take place before the start of […]
The Rh factor: An intertwined history
Paula Carter Chicago, Illinois Lucy Reyburn Rittgers and two of her daughters, circa 1948. Source: Family photo In 1924, Lucy Reyburn gave birth to her first child, a daughter she named Darlene. Lucy lived in Iowa and the birth was an embarrassment. She had become pregnant and hurriedly married a man who left before […]