Blog #1: Blood Transfusions

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     The idea of transferring blood from one person to another is not something new. However, the methods have changed over the years. From as early as the 1400's, people were bathing and drinking other peoples' blood in hopes that it would act as an anti-aging treatment (3). Before intravenous transfusions were even thought of as a possibility, the common conception of blood transfusions was simply drinking the blood (2). It wasn't until around the 17th century that doctors and surgeons started to transfer blood directly into the veins of patients.

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     Often, professionals would experiment on animals before conducting a test on humans, usually with calves or other small animals. In 1667, the first recorded human blood transfusion took place in France. Jean Baptiste Denis operated on his patient and used the blood from a lamb to supplement the patient through his veins (3). Luckily, this patient lived, but others did not fare so well. For example, in 1868, a surgeon named Friedrich von Esmarch performed a blood transfusion on his patient, but he did not survive (4). Due to the generally negative results of transfusions, many dismissed the credibility and possibility for the future medical field. It wasn't until 1905 that the idea of blood transfusions resurfaced, and George Washington Crile is given credit. He successfully performed a direct blood transfusion with many others following suit (1).       Physiologically speaking, blood transfusions were difficult to understand because there were many discoveries to be made. Red blood cells are in a delicate homeostasis within our bodies. When giving fluid to a patient, it is imperative that the saline is isotonic to the red blood cells. With too little or too much sodium, the cells can either undergo crenation or hemolysis, meaning the cells can shrivel up or explode. The current percentage for normal saline is 0.9 percent. Although the term "normal saline" was coined in 1888, the A, B, and O blood groups weren't researched until 1900 by Karl Landsteiner (2, 3). Blood groups are relevant because when transferring blood, the types must be compatible. Each blood type has certain antigens and antibodies that affect the blood's activity. When a patient is given blood of a different type, the blood will agglutinate (clump). Between these two components, it is amazing that blood transfusions managed to be successful before this was discovered. 

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     Within the novel Dracula by Bram Stoker, there are four instances of blood transfusions. In chapter 10, we see Lucy receive blood from Arthur Holmwood. Dr. Seward prepares Lucy by giving medicine to sedate her, describing the procedure as "transfer[ring] from full veins of one to the empty veins" (113-114). This first transfusion goes well with Lucy recovering with seemingly no problem. She then receives blood transfusions from Dr. Seward himself, Dr. Van Helsing, and Quincy Morris. The only time that the transfusion does not appear to work is when Quincy Morris shows up and gives Lucy his blood (136). Since the novel was published prior to 1900, it is no surprise that Dr. Seward did not check the blood to cross-reference blood types or attempt to give Lucy injections of saline. Since transfusions had been successfully completed before the publication date of 1897, Stoker was not writing about a foreign concept, but he did show his opinion that he thought it was possible through writing the generally successful transfusion. 

Works Cited1. Bunch, Bryan H. The History of Science and Technology: A Browser’s Guide to the Great Discoveries, Inventions, and the People Who Made Them, from the Dawn of Time to Today. Houghton Mifflin, 2004. EBSCOhost, search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=edshlc&AN=edshlc.009369642.6&site=eds-live&scope=site.2. Roets, Michelle, et al. “Intraoperative Cell Salvage: A Technology Built upon the Failures, Fads and Fashions of Blood Transfusion.” ANAESTHESIA AND INTENSIVE CARE, vol. 47, pp. 17–30. EBSCOhost, doi:10.1177/0310057X19860161. Accessed 5 Mar. 2020.3. The Oxford Illustrated Companion to Medicine. Oxford University Press, 2001. EBSCOhost. 4. Kasper, S M, and A S Kasper. “History of Autologous Blood Transfusion in the 19th Century.” Zentralblatt Fur Chirurgie, U.S. National Library of Medicine, 1996, www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/8867353. 5. Judd, Phil. No! This Isn't the Place to Order a Blood Transfusion! 2012, Cartoon Stock.com6. Blundell, James. Observations on the Transfusions of Blood. 1829, Wellcome Library. 
7. Pinterest. Blood Types and Antigens/Antibodies. N/A, Buzzle.com