In 1816, a Barbados-born doctor used dogs and cats to test blood transfusion; his forgotten experiments showed why animal blood could not replace human blood |
Human blood was used in an attempt to revive exsanguinated dogs. Image Credit: National Library of Medicine In 1816, a young doctor from Barbados carried out blood transfusion experiments that challenged a dangerous medical assumption and helped point the field towards a safer future. ‘John Henry Leacock’ used dogs and cats to investigate whether blood…