Story 13. What Type Is Your Blood
Accidents happen every day.
The unfortunate victims are rushed to hospitals where doctors do their best to save their lives.
Often, being able to replace the victims' lost blood, using a blood transfusion, is the only hope for survival.
Blood transfusions have become a real lifesaver in modern medicine.
But not so long ago, blood transfusions were dangerous and killed as many people as they saved.
That is, until 1901, when an Austrian scientist discovered that humans do not all have the same blood type.
His research demonstrated that humans, in fact, have one of four blood types—A, B, AB and O.
Before the discovery of the four blood types, it was believed that you could give the blood of any person to any other person.
But this was not true.
Giving a person the wrong type of blood often leads to death because the two different blood types are not compatible—they fight each other.
When giving a blood transfusion, doctors need to know the blood type of the person who donated the blood (the donor), and the blood type of the person who will be receiving it (the recipient).
No matter where you live on this planet, your blood will fall into one of the four types.
Some blood types are rarer than others.
In European cultures, the most common blood type is O.
Among Asian populations, the B blood type is common, while it is very rare in European populations.
People with type O blood are "universal donors".
Their blood can be given safely to people from any of the other three groups.
People with type AB blood are "universal recipients".
They can receive blood from any of the other three groups.
