Blood transfusion
Transfusión de sangre (animal a animal y animal a humano)
- Date
- 1665-1667 · confidence high
- Place
- Oxford and London (Lower); Paris (Denis)
- Credited to
- Richard Lower (dog to dog, 1665); Jean-Baptiste Denis (lamb to human, 1667)
- People
- 👤 Jean-Baptiste Denis👤 Richard Lower1631–1691
- Field
- Life & health
⚠️ Disputed: the sources disagree.
What it is
Transfer of blood between animals using silver cannulas and, in 1667, from a lamb to a young man in Paris and to Arthur Coga in London. An early application of Harvey's theory of circulation, banned in 1670 after several deaths.
Lower and Denis disputed priority for human transfusion; Denis performed his in June 1667 and Lower in November.
What it led to
- Ban on transfusion in France for 150 years
- Concept of blood replacement therapy
- Medical cannulas and syringes
Built on
- Blood circulation1628
- Wren's intravenous injection (1656)
Made possible
- Heart-lung machine and open-heart surgery1953
- Blundell's human transfusion (1818)
- Blood groups (Landsteiner, 1901)