Biomedical Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
8
Replacing Cells
BLOOD TRANSFUSIONS
A little sheep's blood may be just the thing to calm a distracted
student. At least that was the idea proposed at the English Royal
Society in 1667, the same venue where, in 1628, Dr. William Harvey
described the circulation of blood for the first time. A transfusion
of 12 ounces of sheep's blood was administered to a divinity
student who was said to be “crack-brained;” apparently that meant
he was inattentive and disruptive. The volunteer seemed to be
no worse after the procedure, but he did refuse any further trans-
fusions. By 1678, the transfusion of blood from animals to humans
had sickened and killed several people, and was outlawed in
England and France.
Since that time, transfusion of human blood has become safe
and widely available. Advances that made this possible include
the development of antiseptics to reduce infections from person
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