In the 1660's, in France and Britain, there were 3 successful transfusions of blood from a sheep into a human. The patients most likely survived, miraculously, due to the small amount of blood transfused. However, at this time, there were also several UNsuccessful blood transfusion attempts from an animal into a human. In 1668, both France and Britain banned these types of procedures and in 1670, the Vatican condemned the experiments, as well.
In the early to mid 1800's(1818-1840),British physician, James Blundell had some mixed success with human to human blood transfusions. However, these types of operations were still seen as too risky, and not much was done until the early 1900's.
It wasn't until 1901 that three human blood groups, (O, A, & B ) were discovered by Austrian, Karl Landsteiner. Blood transfusions could now be performed on a scientific basis. He discovered that when incompatible blood types are mixed, the body's immune system causes the red blood cells to clump, and the patient would die. For his work on blood transfusions, Landsteiner would eventually be awarded the Nobel Prize in Physiology and Medicine in 1930.
In general, people with blood type O Rh D are called "Universal Donors" because they can donate blood to people with blood types A, B, AB, or O.
People with blood type AB Rh D are called " Universal Recipients" because they can receive blood from any other blood type, A, B, AB or O. However, people with AB blood can ONLY only donate blood to other people with AB blood.
So how is it that the rarest blood type is also the one that is a universal recipient? The answer lies in the antigens that are present in most blood types. O blood types have no antigens, A blood types have a specific antigen, as do B blood types. AB blood type means that the antigens for A and B blood are both present. Since both A and B antigens are present in a person with AB blood, the recipient won't reject the blood. O blood has no antigens, and is referred to as universal donor blood, so that will not cause a reaction.
The timing on all of these scientific discoveries of blood type and blood type compatibility could not have been better. The world was about to embark on the bloodiest event known to man, The Great War, aka World War I
World War I would introduce some terrible weapons to mankind; the tank, warplanes, submarines, the machine gun, grenades, and chemical weapons. It would also be fought in a particularly brutal manner - trench warfare.
For a really good source on the lasting legacy of World War I, check out : http://online.wsj.com/ww1/
Trench warfare had been used in the US Civil War, but not on this scale. Trenches were dug in Zig-Zag formations to prevent enemies from entering and having a clean lane to shoot down with machine guns. An estimated 10% of the soldiers who fought in the trenches died either in charges over the top or by disease. Heavy rainfall would also flood the trenches, so drowning was a constant threat. The soggy conditions often resulted in “trench foot,” which could lead to gangrene, if untreated. The threat of disease was also, ever-present, as rats, flies and lice bred in huge numbers.
Life within the trenches was a miserable existence and the nature of trench warfare prompted some deadly innovations — the first use of poison gas and the widespread use of the barbed-wire fence. The fencing created a contested territory, or “No Man’s Land,” between the two enemy trench systems in which neither side could move openly.
How were soldiers injured in WW1?
Source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/guides/zs3wpv4
The path to treatment at the home base could take up to 24 hours.
Source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/guides/zs3wpv4
The use of blood transfusions during world War I was made possible by a trio of well-timed discoveries earlier in the century. 1. Not all blood is the same i.e. (A, B, AB, O ) 2. Sodium Citrate could be used to stop blood from clotting and 3. Blood could be refrigerated. These breakthroughs made transfusions safer and allowed blood to be stored and carried to the battle front.
TO FIND OUT HOW BLOOD TRANSFUSIONS WORK, CHECK OUT THE VIDEO BELOW AND THEN FOLLOW THE LINK TO PLAY A COOL GAME, CALLED "The Blood Typing Game".
SOURCES: http://online.wsj.com/ww1/blood-transfusions http://www.bbc.co.uk/guides/zs3wpv4 http://www.sciencemuseum.org.uk/broughttolife/techniques/bloodtransfusion.aspx http://surgery.about.com/od/questionsanswers/f/What-Is-A-Universal-Recipient.htm https://museumofhealthcare.wordpress.com/2012/11/10/medical-contributions-of-the-great-war-blood-transfusion/ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blood_transfusion
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