MICROANATOMY

Detailed explanation-1: -It was not until the year 1900, when Karl Landsteiner at the University of Vienna, discovered why some blood transfusions were successful while others could be deadly. Landsteiner discovered the ABO blood group system by mixing the red cells and serum of each of his staff.

Detailed explanation-2: -Karl Landsteiner. Father of blood grouping and immunochemistry.

Detailed explanation-3: -With his discovery of the ABO blood group system, Karl Landsteiner laid the foundation for modern day transfusion medicine. This discovery represents the basic knowledge for every blood transfusion. In recent years, certain blood groups have been linked to an increased risk for certain diseases.

Detailed explanation-4: -Landsteiner classified the blood in four groups. In 1901, he published a paper about discovery of ABO blood groups (1) (Table 1). Before this, Landsteiner had claimed that blood groups are inherited (2). Because of his valuable discovery, he won the Nobel Prize in medicine, in 1930.

Detailed explanation-5: -Karl Landsteiner discovered why: when different people’s blood was mixed, the red blood cells sometimes clumped. He explained in 1901 that people have different types of red blood cells, that is, there are different blood groups. The discovery led to safe blood transfusions between people with compatible blood groups.