The Hemodialysis Discoveries of Willem Johan Kolff are Still Used Today

After graduating college in 1926, Charles Drew was later on enrolled to a medical school-McGill University- in Montreal, Canada, 1928. After studying in several colleges in Canada, Charles Drew returned to the United States and, in 1938, he went to Columbia University where Charles Drew continued exploring blood-related matters. It was there where Charles Drew discovered to process and preserve blood without its cells or plasma in it. Because of this new thesis and method he created, Charles Drew received his doctorate degree in 1940, and a degree in Doctor of Medical Science. During the late 1940’s, Charles Drew was recruited by a medical doctor, John Shudder, to set up a program where donors could donate their blood, and it will be preserved

A revolution in medicine began in the 16th century. During this time Andreas Vesalius and William Harvey added to the understanding of human anatomy. By dissecting human bodies at the University of Padua, Vesalius described the individual organs and general structure

One of the greatest breakthroughs in medicine occurred in the late eighteenth with the discovery of Louis Pasteur and his experiments regarding the growth of bacteria and their ability to travel from place to place. After countless years of research and analyzation, Pasteur used his findings to develop pasteurization (Haigh). Pasteurization is a process which involves heating certain liquids to kill bacteria and prevent fermentation. Pasteur also developed an anthrax vaccine along with a way to weaken the effects of the rabies virus. Using the work of Pasteur another scientist by the name of Joseph Lister developed antisepsis, a way of killing disease-causing germs. In 1865 before an operation, Lister cleaned a leg wound with carbolic acid and performed the surgical procedure with heated instruments, heating the instruments sterilized them (Gieson). The patient in question would have needed an amputation if it was not for Lister sterilizing medical instruments and the surgical field. Eventually, Lister incorporated the use of sterilization in all of his surgical procedures, decreasing the amount of postoperative mortality. The use of antiseptics did not just reduce postoperative mortality it also helped out in the treatment of wounds and making childbirth a less risky process for both women and their children.

“Barnard pursued his medical education from the University of Cape Town Medical School, where he attained his Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery in 1945. He completed his internship and residency in Cape Town at the Groote Schuur Hospital and was employed as a general practitioner in Ceres, which was a rural town in the Province of the Cape of Good Hope. When Barnard returned back to South Africa, he was offered the post of cardiothoracic surgeon in 1958 at the

discovered a new disease. This was in the late 1880’s when many new diseases were

Karl Landsteiner was born on June 14, 1868 in Austria-Hungary. He was then raised by his mother, who got him interested in science. In 1916, Landsteiner married Helen Wlatso. Together they had a son known today as Dr. E. Landsteiner. On June 26, 1943, Landsteiner suffered a heart attack while working in his lab. He was rushed to the hospital but died later that day. He was seventy five years old. Landsteiner accomplished many things while he was alive, he also made some very critical discoveries. In 1901, Landsteiner wanted to help those who could possibly die from blood transfusion. He wanted to find a way for others to give blood without harming the other individual. With many trial and error experiments he realized that mixing certain individuals

Ground breaking achievements in medicine have provided the stability and foundation for humanity to live happier and healthier lives. Advancements in medicine are dependent on forward thinking individuals who are willing to surpass the contemporary boundaries of medicine. One such individual, Ludwig Rehn, took on the challenge of performing the first successful cardiac surgery in the late 19th century, when too many were afraid or failed in their attempts. However, the field of medicine has also experienced many changes in its practice from without. Other areas of study, particularly the humanities, have influenced changes in the practice of methods for centuries. This brings up the question,

Otto Fritz Meyerhof's story is very inspiring to me. His love for science and the works he put in is unlimited. What surprised me most is that his inspiration for the field is science was influenced by reading the work of Goethe. Meyerhof did not let his kidney trouble to prevent him from entering the medical field. I truly believe that his sickness played a huge role in his decision and interest in medicine. His highest finding happened when he was examining the contraction of a frog muscle. This intrigued me to learn that Meyerhof was able to understand the concept of how muscle works by examining a frog. Moreover, he was able to demonstrate and proved that this the depletion of glycogen in muscle cell can occur with or without oxygen. His

alements. He also pioneered the use of chemicals and minerals in medicine. Also there was a huge,

Blood: Currently being used by you, this fluid circulates through our veins, while nourishing our bodies and helping us develop. Blood, however, isn’t always the best option in times of crisis, we are now grateful to have blood plasma. “The father of the blood bank” went through many struggles to thoroughly refine the idea of medicine by pioneering blood plasma. Due to the life-changing discovery of blood plasma, world-renowned, African-American surgeon Charles Drew saved thousands of lives during World War II and revolutionized modern medicine.

In 1900, Karl Landsteiner discovered why some blood transfusions were successful while others could be deadly and some could result on some serious symptoms. He also discovered the ABO blood group system by mixing the red blood cells and serum of each of his staff. He has been credited for this discovery because

Blood letting was a common practice used throughout history as a 'cure' for everything from acne, to the plague, to bleeding, and everything in-between! Galen's four humors theory contributed to this idea greatly, with the thought that there were four substances in the body that had to be kept in balance to stay healthy. One of the four substances was blood; if there was too much or too little, they would ill. Blood letting is still used today to treat the blood disorder hemochromatosis, where patients have too much iron in their blood. Now though, phlebotomy is done under safer conditions by medical professionals who remove a portion of blood approximately equal to a blood donation, one pint.

A vascular access is a hemodialysis patient’s lifeline. A vascular access makes life-saving hemodialysis treatments possible. Hemodialysis is a treatment for kidney failure that uses a machine to send the patient’s blood through a filter, called a dialyzer, outside the body. The access is a surgically created vein used to remove and return blood during hemodialysis. The blood goes through a needle, a few ounces at a time. The blood then travels through a tube that takes it to the dialyzer. Inside the dialyzer, the blood flows through thin fibers that filter out wastes and extra fluid. The machine returns the filtered blood to the body through a different tube. A vascular access lets large amounts of blood flow continuously during hemodialysis

Dialysis is a procedure that replaces some of the work healthy kidneys do. It is done when you lose about 85–90% of your kidney function. It may also be done earlier if your symptoms may be improved by dialysis. During dialysis, wastes, salt, and extra water are removed from the blood, and the levels of certain chemicals in the blood (such as potassium) are maintained. Dialysis is done in sessions. Dialysis sessions are continued until the kidneys get better. If the kidneys cannot get better, such as in end-stage kidney disease, dialysis is continued for life or until you receive a new kidney (kidney transplant). There are two types of dialysis: hemodialysis and peritoneal dialysis.

| Weaknesses * < 40% of the blood collections in ROW were done using evacuated tubes