Who established the first Blood Bank?
VerifiedAnswer: Bernard Fantus
Explanation:
Bernard Fantus, an American physician, established the world's first blood bank in 1937 at Cook County Hospital in Chicago, Illinois. This groundbreaking achievement revolutionized medical care and emergency treatment by creating a systematic way to store and preserve blood for future use.
Dr. Fantus was born in Hungary in 1874 and later moved to the United States where he became a prominent physician and researcher. He recognized the critical need for readily available blood supplies in hospitals, especially during emergencies and surgeries. Before his innovation, blood transfusions had to be performed directly from donor to patient, which was often impractical and time-consuming during critical situations.
The concept behind the blood bank was to collect, process, and store blood donations for future medical use. Dr. Fantus developed methods to preserve blood by using refrigeration and adding anticoagulants to prevent clotting. He actually coined the term "blood bank" because the system operated similarly to a financial bank - people could "deposit" blood through donations, and hospitals could "withdraw" blood when needed for patients.
The establishment of the first blood bank had several key features that made it successful:
• Systematic collection and storage of blood donations from healthy volunteers • Proper testing and typing of blood to ensure compatibility • Refrigeration systems to maintain blood quality for extended periods • Organized record-keeping to track blood supplies and donor information • Standardized procedures for blood processing and distribution
Dr. Fantus's innovation came at a crucial time in medical history. The blood bank system proved invaluable during World War II, when there was an unprecedented demand for blood transfusions to treat wounded soldiers. His work laid the foundation for modern blood banking systems that we rely on today in hospitals worldwide.
