Donating the red elixir of life

Every year on June 14, countries around the world celebrate World Blood Donor Day. It raises awareness of the need for safe blood and blood products and to thank blood donors. The slogan for the 2017 campaign is: “What can you do? Give blood. Give now. Give often”

1 This extremely rare ABO group was first discovered in 1952 and is named after a city. The group is more likely to occur in East Indians and can be found in Caucasians, Japanese, etc. These blood group individuals should never be transfused with blood from any other group. Identify the rare group.

2 Jean-Baptiste Denys, personal physician to France’s Louis XIV, performed one of the earliest human blood transfusions. The first, of about 12 ounces of blood, was extracted from the carotid artery of an animal and transfused into a 15-year-old boy. Identify the animal.

3 An important breakthrough occurred when Soviet scientists Vladimir Shamov and Sergei Yudin in the early 1930s realised this was possible with blood. Their unusual idea led to the establishment of “canned” blood at refrigerated blood centers in Leningrad. What was the unusual idea?

4 Dr Charles Drew was an African American surgeon working with the American Red Cross. As World War II raged in Europe, Drew was asked to head a special medical effort known as ‘Blood for Britain’. The trip ended up in the creation of a new idea. What did he innovate?

5 Blood type, metabolism, exercise, shirt colour and even drinking beer can make individuals especially delicious to mosquitoes. One study found that people with this blood group are twice more likely to get bitten by the mosquitoes than the other groups. Which group are we talking about?