Google's latest doodle observes Karl Landsteiner 148th birthday.
Highlights
- Karl Landsteiner discovered the existence of blood types A, B, AB and O
- First successful blood transfusion in 1907 as a direct result of his work
- Doodle shows Mr Landsteiner standing in a lab with four test tubes
Discoverer of the blood groups, Karl Landsteiner was born in Vienna on June 14, 1868. His father, Leopold Landsteiner, a doctor of law, died when Karl was six years old. His mother brought him up.
Mr Landsteiner with a number of collaborators had published many papers on his findings in morbid anatomy and on immunology.
In 1901, Karl Landsteiner discovered the existence of blood types A, B, AB and O, and that people of the same or compatible types can receive transfusions from one another.
The first successful blood transfusion occurred in 1907 as a direct result of his work.
The doodle shows Mr Landsteiner standing in a laboratory, next to a table. The table has a microscope and four test tubes, containing different types of blood groups, kept on it. Google's logo is written in grey behind Karl Landsteiner with the Os highlighting him and the test tubes in the foreground. Each test tube has a rotating blood cell on top of it. The test tubes are labelled with different blood types O, A, B and AB.
When you click on the doodle it directs you to the google's search page for Mr Landsteiner.
Karl Landsteiner is also credited with laying the groundwork, together with fellow scientist Erwin Popper, that led to the discovery of the polio virus.
His discoveries have saved the lives of millions.