Karl Landsteiner, the discoverer of blood groups

Abstract

0 d he University of Vienna in 1961 [1]. One hundred and three years ago, in November 1901, the iennese Weekly Journal of Medicine published a paper enitled “Agglutination phenomena of normal human blood” y Karl Landsteiner [2]. That paper marked the discovery f blood groups, setting the stage for blood transfusions and urther research in various fields of science. In 1930, Landteiner was awarded the Nobel Prize for this milestone in the eld of medicine. Karl Landsteiner was born in Baden, in the province of ower Austria, on 14 June 1868 (Fig. 1). His parents, Fanny nd Leopold Landsteiner, a Viennese Journalist and newsaper publisher, residents of the Austrian capital of Vienna, ere spending their traditional summer vacation in the idyllic earby spa of Baden [1]. final exams and graduated from the Austrian Imperial High School, Wasagasse, in the 9th district of Vienna in 1885. In autumn of the same year, Landsteiner entered Medical School at the Alma Mater Rudolfina of the University of Vienna. The faculty included famous scientists such as the anatomist Carl Toldt, the internist Otto Kahler, the surgeon Theodore Billroth and the physiologist Siegmund Exner [1]. As a medical student, Landsteiner was fascinated by research, particularly in the field of chemistry. He began performing experiments in the laboratory of his chemistry professor, Ernest Ludwig, where he also published his first papers on chemical topics [1]. These early skills and accomplishments in chemistry formed the basis for Landsteiner’s later serological work. He joined the military as a medical student, serving as a volunteer for 1 year with the medical field unit. Landsteiner graduated from Medical School on 18 Only 7 years later, Leopold Landsteiner died. Since he ad been Mosaic, his son Karl was brought up in the same aith. While Karl Landsteiner was studying at the university, owever, he and his mother converted to Catholicism. On 4 ecember 1890, he was baptised to the name Karl Otto in the February 1891. Soon afterwards, in July of the same year, he was awarded the military rank of attending physician of the reserve first class [1]. He began his clinical training at the II. University Departm c p i a t F i s u