The Transfusion of Blood - An Operation at the "Hôpital de la Pitié," at Paris Miranda, 1874

This illustration from the July 4, 1874 edition of Harper's Weekly shows a doctor performing a blood transfusion on a woman in a Paris hospital. In 1825, James Blundell (1791–1878) performed the first successful blood transfusion on a woman dying of hemorrhage during childbirth. Blundell performed 10 transfusions during his practice, five being successful (and four on women suffering from hemorrhage). The illustration, from Blundell's lifetime, demonstrates the importance and acceptance of his procedure.

Courtesy National Library of Medicine