The reason that successful blood transfusions are possible in this day and age is because of one man, Karl Landsteiner, who not only discovered that only some types of blood were compatible with others but also classified them into the different blood groups we recognize today - A, B, AB and O.
Karl Landsteiner, who discovered the compatibility between blood groups, was born today on June 14, 1943. The life-saving blood transfusion procedure which is so common in today's age is only possible because of Landsteiner's discovery.
Blood transfusions between animals were successfully conducted but when scientists tried to do blood transfusion from animals to humans, the humans' immunity system rejected it. This was because of the antigens present on the red blood cells of the humans. The antigens, on contact with the animal blood, started producing antibodies which led the blood to clot, leading to a risk in human.
Landsteiner on observing this discovered the different types of antigens present on human red blood cells and classified them into four main blood groups. He also discovered that the fatal reaction of clotting not only occurred between animal and human blood but also between the different groups of human blood themselves. He then created a way of testing the compatibility of the donor and the recipient, hence making blood transfusions in humans safer and easier.
Landsteiner was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1930 for his discoveries and contribution to Immunology. He died in June 1943 leaving his extensive work which later helped make more important advancements in medicine.
He also made several contributions to the different fields of medicine including, pathological anatomy, histology, and immunology.
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 "Karl Landsteiner Goggle Doodle")
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