History of Blood Transfusion

Abstract

History of blood transfusion dates back to three centuries ago. The first documented references go to Ovid who wrote in 43 BC in the seventh book of the Metamorphoses about the use of blood. The ancient kings of Egypt apparently bathed in blood, with the belief such baths can resuscitate the sick and rejuvenate the old. In 1492, blood was taken from three young men and given to the stricken Pope Innocent VII in the hope of curing him. It is the first time a blood transfusion was recorded. William Harvey identified that that blood flowed through the blood vessels in one direction. Florentine physician, Francesco Folli, published a book in 1680 setting out his claim to be the originator of blood transfusion. The anticoagulant effect of sodium citrate was invented by Richard. Dr. Oswald Robertson reported transfusing 20 casualties on 22 occasions during the Battle of Cambrai in November 1917. In 1818 the first successful man to man blood transfusion was performed by British obstetrician James Blundell. He successfully transfused human blood to a patient who had hemorrhage during childbirth. The modern transfusion era started with the discovery of three main human blood groups A, B, and C by Karl Landsteiner, an Austrian physician, in 1901. Later C group changed to O. In the coming years, progress has been made in storage, collection, preservation, and distribution of blood by scholars, doctors, and researchers of many nationals. During the Second World War with the invention of Coombs test, a new era in transfusion therapy begins. After 1960 with the invention of use of plastic bags and plasmapheresis, blood component therapy has been started all over the world. For safe transfusion of blood and components, test for hepatitis B and C and HIV 1 and 2, serological test for syphilis, and other tests have been introduced. With the introduction of voluntary donation and their selection criteria, present-day transfusion therapy resulted to be quite safe with least number of complications.