Who has more blood types than humans, and why can’t different blood types be mixed?
Fact 1
Karl Landsteiner discovered blood types in 1901 by observing how the blood of different people coagulated when mixed. He later classified them as A, B, and 0. According to this system, there are four blood groups: 0 (I), A (II), B (III), and AB (IV).
Fact 2
This system is not unique. There are currently 33 classification systems recognized by the International Society of Blood Transfusion, including Lutheran, Bombay, Duffy, and even OK.
Fact 3
A blood group is characterized by a different set of molecules on the surface of red blood cells. The mismatch of these molecules between donor and recipient can trigger a fatal immune response following blood transfusion.
Fact 4
Some blood types are very rare or only exist in certain ethnic groups. The first group is the most common all over the world: its owners are about 45% of the population. Blood of the second group is most often found among Europeans, and this is 35% of the world population. The third group occurs in 13% of people, and the fourth – in 7%.
Fact 5
The fourth blood group (AB) is the youngest and, according to one version, was formed as a result of mixing Indo-Europeans and Mongoloids.
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Fact 6
Before blood types were discovered, doctors experimented with transfusions between humans and animals. In December 1667, physician Jean-Baptiste Denis performed a blood transfusion of a calf into a man in an attempt to cure him of a mental illness. After the second transfusion, the patient began to vomit profusely, kidney pain, and his urine turned black. After the third transfusion, the man died. Denis was convicted of murdering a patient, but he was acquitted when it became known that the patient had been poisoned – not with blood, but with arsenic.
Fact 7
Hematophages are creatures that feed on the blood of animals or humans. There are about 14 thousand such insect species.
Fact 8
Hemophilia is an inherited disorder associated with a blood clotting disorder. Hemophilia A causes a deficiency in the blood of the necessary protein and occurs most often – in about 85% of cases, in contrast to hemophilia B. This disease causes hemorrhages in the joints, muscles and internal organs. Today, hemophiliacs are treated with infusions of clotting factor concentrates made from donated blood.
