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In 1901, an Austrian doctor named Karl Landsteiner recognized the three basic blood groups-blood was first cross-matched in 1907. The revival of blood transfusions would have to wait for the 20 th century when a new era of microbiology ushered in the understanding of various blood groups and compatibility. In the 1880s, isotonic saline solution was invented, and the use of milk fell entirely out of favor in favor of the new, safe saline solution. As more patients died from milk transfusions, the practice fell out of favor. Other people, however, simply went into shock and died after blood transfusions.ĭespite the lack of obvious benefit, milk transfusions continued in the late 1880s, as the use of blood was discouraged since it had a tendency to coagulate. Sometimes they were successful: in 1818 James Blundell managed to accomplish the first successful human blood transfusion and saved a woman hemorrhaging from childbirth. As there was no understanding of blood groups, blood transfusions were extremely risky. Unfortunately, the move to human transfusion was quite tricky. The very first transfusions occurred in dogs, as the English physician Richard Lower demonstrated that a dog could be kept alive by transfusing blood from other dogs. By 1658, Jan Swammerdam was viewing red blood cells through a microscope. The history of blood transfusion goes all the way back to the 1600s when William Harvey discovered the circulatory system. Blood transfusions often resulted in death, as the receiver's immune system would attack the foreign, unmatched blood that was transfused. In the 19 th century, no one understood that people had different blood types. In fact, coconut water preserves teeth better than milk-something to keep in mind the next time a tooth gets accidentally knocked out! In a pinch, coconut water is tolerated fairly well by humans. Coconut water (the juice inside a young coconut, not "milk" which is made from grinding up the meat of the fruit) has fewer electrolytes than blood plasma, but it is sterile and works in a similar manner to a saline IV drip. In emergency situations, Japanese and British medics would resort to coconut water. Coconut Juice Blood Transfusions in World War IIĪs World War II raged through the Pacific, blood products were in short supply. Native Americans are the next highest proportion of the population to test as Rh negative: approximately 10% of donors from this population lack this protein. Caucasians are the most likely to be Rh negative, with approximately 17% of blood donors demonstrating a lack of this protein. The majority of people in any geographical region are Rh positive.
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It is the most common blood type among Australian Aborigines, Celts, those living in Western Europe, and in the United States.
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The O blood type is the most common around the globe and is carried by nearly 100% of those living in South America. This blood type is also fairly common in India and other Central Asian countries. Nearly 25% of the Chinese population demonstrates this blood type. The B blood type is rare in Europe (about 10% of the population), but fairly common in Asia.
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In Montana, 80% of the Blackfoot tribe has the A blood group. This blood type is also found in high levels among small, unrelated groups of people. Nearly half the population in Denmark, Norway, Austria, and Ukraine have this blood type. The A blood group is common in central Europe. The O blood type is the most common blood type around the world.Īccording to the National Center for Biotechnology Information (a molecular biology resource funded by the government), the breakdown of blood type by region is: Blood types vary depending on the geographical region: Scandinavians have a high probability of carrying the A blood type, while those indigenous to central Asia are more likely to carry the B blood type.
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