Karl Landsteiner 

ForMemRS[2] (German: [kaʁl ˈlantˌʃtaɪnɐ]; 14 June 1868 – 26

June 1943[3]) was an Austrian biologist, physician, and immunologist.[4] He
distinguished the main blood groups in 1900, having developed the modern
system of classification of blood groups from his identification of the presence
of agglutinins in the blood, and in 1937 identified, with Alexander S. Wiener,
the Rhesus factor, thus enabling physicians to transfuse blood without
endangering the patient's life. With Constantin Levaditi and Erwin Popper, he
discovered the polio virus in 1909. He received the Aronson Prize in 1926. In
1930, he received the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine. He was
posthumously awarded the Lasker Award in 1946, and has been described as
the father of transfusion medicine.[5]

Early life and education[edit]

Born into a Jewish family, Landsteiner's father, Leopold (1818–1875), a
renowned Viennese journalist who was editor-in-chief of Die Presse, died at
age 56, when Karl was only 6. This led to a close relationship between him
and his mother Fanny (née Hess; 1837–1908). After graduating with the
Matura exam from a Vienna secondary school, he took up the study of
medicine at the University of Vienna and wrote his doctoral thesis in 1891.
While still a student he published an essay on the influence of diets on the
composition of blood.[3]
From 1891 to 1893, Landsteiner studied chemistry
in Würzburg under Hermann Emil Fischer, in München, Eugen
Bamberger and in Zürich under Arthur Rudolf Hantzsch. He had a number of
publications from that period, some of them in co-operation with his
professors.[6]

Research work in Vienna; discovery of the polio virus [edit]

After returning to Vienna he became an assistant to Max von Gruber at the
Hygienic Institute. In his studies he concentrated on the mechanism of
immunity and the nature of antibodies. From November 1897 to 1908
Landsteiner was an assistant at the pathological-anatomical institute of the
University of Vienna under Anton Weichselbaum, where he published 75
papers, dealing with issues in serology, bacteriology, virology and pathological
anatomy. In addition he did some 3,600 autopsies in those ten years.
Weichselbaum was Landsteiner's tutor for his postdoctoral lecture qualification
in 1903.[7] From 1908 to 1920 Landsteiner was prosector at the
Wilhelminenspital in Vienna and in 1911 he was sworn in as an associate
professor of pathological anatomy. During that time he discovered – in co-
operation with Erwin Popper – the infectious character of poliomyelitis and
isolated the polio virus.[8] In recognition of this groundbreaking discovery,
which proved to be the basis for the fight against polio, he was posthumously
inducted into the Polio Hall of Fame at Warm Springs, Georgia, which was
dedicated in January 1958.
Research of the blood groups[edit]
In 1900 Landsteiner found out that the blood of two people under
contact agglutinates, and in 1901 he found that this effect was due to contact
of blood with blood serum. As a result, he succeeded in identifying the three
blood groups A, B and O, which he labelled C, of human blood. Landsteiner
also found out that blood transfusion between persons with the same blood
group did not lead to the destruction of blood cells, whereas this occurred
between persons of different blood groups.[9] Based on his findings, the first
successful blood transfusion was performed by Reuben Ottenberg at Mount
Sinai Hospital in New York in 1907.
Today, whole blood transfusions are rare. It is now well known that persons
with blood group AB can accept red blood cell donations of the other blood
groups, and that persons with blood group O-negative can donate red blood
cells to all other groups. Individuals with blood group AB are referred to
as universal recipients and those with blood group O-negative are known
as universal donors. These donor-recipient relationships arise due to the fact
that type O-negative blood possesses neither antigens of blood group A nor of
blood group B. Therefore, the immune systems of persons with blood group A,
B or AB do not refuse the donation. Further, because persons with blood
group AB do not form antibodies against either the antigens of blood group A
or B, they can accept red blood cells from persons with these blood groups, as
well as from persons with blood group O-negative.
In 1930 Landsteiner was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physiology or
Medicine in recognition of these achievements. For his pioneering work, he is
recognized as the father of transfusion medicine.[10]

Karl Landsteiner ForMemRS[2] (German: [kaʁl ˈlantˌʃtaɪnɐ]; 14 June 1868 – 26

June 1943[3]) was an Austrian biologist, physician, and immunologist.[4] He
distinguished the main blood groups in 1900, having developed the modern
system of classification of blood groups from his identification of the presence
of agglutinins in the blood, and in 1937 identified, with Alexander S. Wiener,
the Rhesus factor, thus enabling physicians to transfuse blood without
endangering the patient's life. With Constantin Levaditi and Erwin Popper, he
discovered the polio virus in 1909. He received the Aronson Prize in 1926. In
1930, he received the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine. He was
posthumously awarded the Lasker Award in 1946, and has been described as
the father of transfusion medicine.[5]

Early life and education[edit]

Born into a Jewish family, Landsteiner's father, Leopold (1818–1875), a
renowned Viennese journalist who was editor-in-chief of Die Presse, died at
age 56, when Karl was only 6. This led to a close relationship between him
and his mother Fanny (née Hess; 1837–1908). After graduating with the
Matura exam from a Vienna secondary school, he took up the study of
medicine at the University of Vienna and wrote his doctoral thesis in 1891.
While still a student he published an essay on the influence of diets on the
composition of blood.[3]
From 1891 to 1893, Landsteiner studied chemistry
in Würzburg under Hermann Emil Fischer, in München, Eugen
Bamberger and in Zürich under Arthur Rudolf Hantzsch. He had a number of
publications from that period, some of them in co-operation with his
professors.[6]

Research work in Vienna; discovery of the polio virus [edit]

After returning to Vienna he became an assistant to Max von Gruber at the
Hygienic Institute. In his studies he concentrated on the mechanism of
immunity and the nature of antibodies. From November 1897 to 1908
Landsteiner was an assistant at the pathological-anatomical institute of the
University of Vienna under Anton Weichselbaum, where he published 75
papers, dealing with issues in serology, bacteriology, virology and pathological
anatomy. In addition he did some 3,600 autopsies in those ten years.
Weichselbaum was Landsteiner's tutor for his postdoctoral lecture qualification
in 1903.[7] From 1908 to 1920 Landsteiner was prosector at the
Wilhelminenspital in Vienna and in 1911 he was sworn in as an associate
professor of pathological anatomy. During that time he discovered – in co-
operation with Erwin Popper – the infectious character of poliomyelitis and
isolated the polio virus.[8] In recognition of this groundbreaking discovery,
which proved to be the basis for the fight against polio, he was posthumously
inducted into the Polio Hall of Fame at Warm Springs, Georgia, which was
dedicated in January 1958.

Research of the blood groups[edit]

In 1900 Landsteiner found out that the blood of two people under
contact agglutinates, and in 1901 he found that this effect was due to contact
of blood with blood serum. As a result, he succeeded in identifying the three
blood groups A, B and O, which he labelled C, of human blood. Landsteiner
also found out that blood transfusion between persons with the same blood
group did not lead to the destruction of blood cells, whereas this occurred
between persons of different blood groups.[9] Based on his findings, the first
successful blood transfusion was performed by Reuben Ottenberg at Mount
Sinai Hospital in New York in 1907.
Today, whole blood transfusions are rare. It is now well known that persons
with blood group AB can accept red blood cell donations of the other blood
groups, and that persons with blood group O-negative can donate red blood
cells to all other groups. Individuals with blood group AB are referred to
as universal recipients and those with blood group O-negative are known
as universal donors. These donor-recipient relationships arise due to the fact
that type O-negative blood possesses neither antigens of blood group A nor of
blood group B. Therefore, the immune systems of persons with blood group A,
B or AB do not refuse the donation. Further, because persons with blood
group AB do not form antibodies against either the antigens of blood group A
or B, they can accept red blood cells from persons with these blood groups, as
well as from persons with blood group O-negative.
In 1930 Landsteiner was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physiology or
Medicine in recognition of these achievements. For his pioneering work, he is
recognized as the father of transfusion medicine.[10]