ABSTRACT
The idea of taking bone, skin, or organs from one person and transplanting them into another has been a subject of fascination and intrigue since earliest times. Yet until the 20th century the dream of creating a healthy whole person by transplantation remained in the realm of mythology and the miraculous. Early attempts at blood transfusion met with no success until knowledge of different blood types and their mutual compatibility or incompatibility was discovered. This meant that many attempts at blood transfusion during the 18th century resulted in charges of homicide before several European courts outlawed the practice. However, blood transfusion was widely used in the 1914-18 war when blood banks were created to store blood. This, perhaps, was one of the most important features in the early stages of the history of transplantation. . . .
