Mathematical Models for Blood Coagulation - Fluid-Structure Interaction and Biomedical Applications - page 482

Fig. 7.1 Queen Victoria's family tree, showing hemophiliac descendants

We refer to the important review paper [ 117 ], containing a large section on the
Royal hemophilia. It is well known that Queen Victoria was a carrier of the disease
and that members of many royal families got from her the defective chromosome
(Fig. 7.1 ), a fact that was going to have important historical consequences [ 139 , 227 ].
Hemophilia used to be a life-threatening illness and any minor injury could be fatal.
Later on patients could benefit transfusions, but at the insurgence of HIV infection
a great number of them died.
Relationship between cancer and thromboembolism was recognized already in
the 1860 by Armand Trousseau (1801-1867), who had the chance to diagnose in
that way his own fatal illness.
But let us finally come to platelets. Due to their smallness, their discovery was
delayed until sufficiently powerful microscopes became available. In 1865 Max
JohannSigismundSchultze (1825-1874) made an accurate description of tiny cells
that he recognized as normal constituents of blood. However, there were previous
observations: in 1836 by HermannNasse , and in 1842 by the French AlfredDonné
(1801-1878), frequently referred to as the discoverer of platelets, and many others
(see the review paper [ 51 ]). It was however Giulio Bizzozero (1846-1901) who
understood their role in blood coagulation (1881) as Fibrin producers. 14 He coined
the Italian name Piastrine and the German Blutplächtten . This was the starting point

14 In this connection the name of the eminent French hematologist Georges Hayem (1841-1933)
has to be remembered as one of the founders of modern hematology. He performed the first count
of platelets. In 1882 he illustrated the effects of thrombocytopenia (low platelets count).