02/04/1937 • 6 views
First Successful Blood Bank Established in 1937
On February 4, 1937, the world's first organized, publicly accessible blood bank began operation, establishing procedures for collection, storage, and transfusion that transformed medical care and emergency treatment.
Background: transfusion before 1937
Before the 1930s, blood transfusion was practiced but limited by short preservation times and the need for direct donor-to-recipient matches. Early advances included the discovery of blood groups by Karl Landsteiner in 1901, which made safer transfusions possible, and experimentation with anticoagulants and refrigeration that extended storage duration. Individual physicians and military services had collected and transfused blood in emergencies, but these efforts lacked a standardized, continuously operating repository.
Fantus’s blood bank
Bernard Fantus, a physician at Cook County Hospital, advocated for a system that would store blood and make it available on demand. The 1937 blood bank introduced routine donor screening, use of anticoagulant solutions to prevent clotting in stored units, controlled refrigeration to slow cellular degradation, and record systems to track donors and matched recipients. These procedures reduced delays for operations and trauma care and provided a template that other hospitals and communities could replicate.
Impact and spread
Following Fantus’s example, similar blood banks appeared across the United States and internationally, especially as the need for blood products grew during the late 1930s and World War II. The establishment of organized blood banks enabled the development of large-scale transfusion services, blood drives, and later, fractionation and storage of plasma derivatives. Over time, improvements in testing, refrigeration, anticoagulants, and component separation have further increased safety and effectiveness.
Historical notes and caveats
Attribution of "the first" blood bank can vary in accounts; several earlier experiments and localized services contributed to the practice of blood storage. Fantus is widely credited with popularizing the term "blood bank" and creating the first sustained, hospital-based service intended to serve a general patient population. This summary focuses on the widely accepted 1937 opening at Cook County Hospital while acknowledging that transfusion science evolved through multiple contributors and earlier initiatives.
Legacy
The 1937 blood bank marked a turning point in clinical transfusion care. Its models for donor management, storage, and record-keeping laid foundations for modern transfusion medicine and public blood-collection systems that continue to save lives today.