15 Mar: Give Me Your Blood
The world’s first blood bank opened on March 15, 1937 at Cook County Hospital in Chicago, revolutionising the way blood transfusions were performed.
Dr. Bernard Fantus, the man behind the blood bank, had originally wanted to call his innovation the Blood Preservation Laboratory – but then his daughter came up with a rather less ghoulish name.
In this episode, Arion, Rebecca and Olly explain how the discovery of blood typing was a crucial step towards the creation of blood banks; reveal why Dr. Fantus was inspired to invent sweet medicines for children; and demystify an urban legend about a pope draining boys’ blood…
Further Reading:
#30s #Inventions #US