Richard Lower: The Origins of Blood Transfusion

Millions of blood transfusions are performed yearly worldwide. With respect to its historical origins, this practice began in the 17^th century with an English physician. In 1666, Richard Lower reported the first successful transfusion between animals. The first transfusion in a human patient was performed the following year by Jean Baptiste Denis, a French physician. That same year, Lower transfused blood from a lamb into the bloodstream of a clergyman named Arthur Coga. However, the practice was subsequently abandoned for hundreds of years. Safe transfusion awaited the recognition of blood types and cross-matching, and did not occur until early in the 20^th century. A number of other advances in transfusion therapy have followed, and more are in development.