National Blood Donor Month
Winter, according to the American Red Cross, is “one of the most difficult times of year to collect enough blood products to meet patient needs.” This is due, in part, to hectic holiday schedules and extreme weather, which frequently forces blood drives to be postponed. In addition, seasonal illnesses like the flu make it necessary for potential donors to opt out of blood donations.
History
In 1937, Bernard Fantus, a Hungarian physician, creates the nation’s first hospital blood bank at Chicago’s Cook County Hospital.
Thirty years before, in 1907, at Mount Sinai Hospital in New York, American doctor Reuben Ottenberg uses blood type and crossmatching to make the first successful blood transfusion based on Landsteiner’s findings.At Mount Sinai Hospital in New York, American doctor Reuben Ottenberg uses blood type and crossmatching to make the first successful blood transfusion based on Landsteiner’s findings.At Mount Sinai Hospital in New York, American doctor Reuben Ottenberg uses blood type and crossmatching to make the first successful blood transfusion based on Landsteiner’s findings.
The ABO blood group system is created by Dr. Karl Landsteiner, an Austrian. It is said that Czech physician Jan Jansky was the first to classify blood into four categories: A, B, AB, and O sometime during the early 1900s.
Prior to that, in 1628, William Harvey, an English physician, publishes “On the Motion of the Heart and Blood,” outlining his theory of how blood moves through the body.
About Blood Donation
Did you know:
- About 38% of Americans are able to donate blood, yet barely 10% do so in reality, according to the American Red Cross.
- Those who start giving blood at the age of 17 and donate every eight weeks would have given 48 gallons of blood by the time they are 76, according to Brookhaven National Laboratory.
- Blood donations are tested in labs for a variety of infectious illnesses, including West Nile virus and HIV.
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Even dogs can give! Make sure you are aware of the local laws governing this kind of contribution by consulting the Humane Society and your veterinarian.
- One pint of blood donation has the potential to save three lives.
Why it is important:
- In the US, a blood transfusion is required every few seconds. And without access to potentially life-saving blood transfusions, almost 4.5 million Americans would pass away annually. During National Blood Donor Month, we are reminded of these important figures.
- For the American Red Cross to keep a sufficient quantity of blood on hand, 13,000 blood donations are required daily. Thankfully, blood donations are accepted every eight weeks from qualified donors.
- According to the American Journal of Epidemiology, there is an 88 percent lower risk of heart attacks among blood donors, so it’s good for the donors, too!
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