First GB human blood transfusionIn 1818, the first transfusion in Great Britain using human blood (as opposed to animal blood) took place at Guy's Hospital, London, by Dr. James Blundell. The patient, Mr. Brazier, was beyond hope of recovery due to incurable scirrhous disease of the pyloric orifice of the stomach, but he was anxious that the procedure be tried. Using an instrument of his own design, the doctor transfused of between 12 to 14 ounces of donated human blood into a vein in the patient's arm. For 30 or 40 minutes there seemed benefit, as his pulse and body temperature increased. However, he died 56 hours after the treatment. Ten years later, Dr. Blundell saved a patient's life with a blood transfusion, but by then, Dr. Doubleday had already, in 1825, become the first to achieve a life-saving success.« |
