Blood Group Serology—the First Four Decades (1900-1939)

Abstract

Although blood transfusion had been practised spasmodically since the seventeenth century it was not until the discovery of the blood groups in 1900 that it became a potentially safe procedure, and pre-transfusion compatibility testing could be undertaken. Blood grouping and transfusion practice until the second world war remained very primitive, however. Some of the techniques in use in the 1920s and 1930s are here described and discussed, and some of the specific laboratory problems which arose are considered in the light of present knowledge. In particular, the mystique which then surrounded blood group serology is explained in terms of the confusion aroused by the existence of different nomenclatures for the ABO groups, and the lack of techniques for demonstration of (what are now known as) IgG antibodies. The reluctance of clinicians to use blood transfusion during this period is explained partly as a consequence of this limited serological understanding. © 1979, Cambridge University Press. All rights reserved.