A red viscuous fluid flowing through blood vessels acting as a connective tissue.

The two main characters of blood are: (1) Solid or cellular part (blood cells) - 35% (2) Fluid or Humoral part (Plasma) - 65%

Corpuscles.

Three types of bloods are there.
(1) Red Blood Corpuscles - RBC
(2) White Blood Corpuscles - WBC
(3) Blood Platelets called Thrombocytes.

(1) Carries oxygen and vital nutritions through arteries to every living tissue in the body.
(2) Carbon-di-oxide and other waste products created by Metabolism (chemical process involving living organism) like Urea, are removed by blood through the veins. (3) Controls body temperatures.
(4) Protects or defends against infections.

In general, it is from 5 to 7 litres. For male, it is about 5 ltrs while it is 500 ml less for women - estimated to be 60 80 ml per kg of body weight.

RBC also called Erythrocytes, are disc shaped cells, concave in the middle and can be seen only through a microscope. They have no neucleus. Contains a pigment called Haemoglobin which gives the red colour to the blood.

It contains "Haema" - Iron pigment and "Globin" a protein.

Male: 14 to 15.6 g/per 100 cubic centimetre. Female: 11 to 14 g/per 100 cubic centimetre.

In the spleen and the bone marrows.

It is produced at the rate of 1.2 millions per second and their life is between 100 to 120 days.

Collects the oxygen from the lung tissues by forming a chemical compound with it. Then the oxygen is carried to the tissues where it is used in chemical reactions with the digestive products to produce energy. Then combines with the carbon-di-oxide produced in the chemical reaction, returns to the lungs through the heart.

They are round, semi-transparent and circular cells containing a nucleus. They are visible only through microscope. They are slightly larger than the RBCs. They are called the "Soldiers" of the body's defense system. They are also far less in number than the RBC's.

1: 400/500 i.e., against the WBC, RBC will be around 400/500.

Neutrophils, Lymphoctes, Basophils, Eosinophils and Monocytes, performing different functions.

The WBCs in general act as the defence system of the body. However, the varieties have different functions to do. They are:
NEUTROPHILS: They constitute about 65% to 70% of the WBCs. They attack the invading bacteria and engulf them.
LYMPHOCYTES: They constitute about 25% of the WBCs. They produce antibodies, a substance produced in the blood in response to an antigen (bacteria, viruses, toxins etc.). The antibodies defends the body against antigens and provide immunity against infection and diseases.
BASOPHILS: They secrete Heparin, an anticoagulant which prevents blood clotting in the vessels.
EOSINOPHILS & MONOCYTES: They act against specific antigens and help in the defence mechanism.

THROMBOSIS: Blood clotting in the vessels leads to heart attack, as the blood supply to the heart gets affected.

Also called Thrombocytes. They are tiny, oval or circular cells, about quarter of the size of WBC, which going together to release the Thromboplasm (blood clotting). They only live for a few hours.

It is the watery part of the blood, constituting about 50 to 60% of the blood. A clear yellow fluid transporting blood cells, and transports nutrients from the small intestine to the body tissue and return the waste materials to the kidney for filtering and excretion.

Contains 90% water, protein, inorganic salts, organic substances like glucose, amino acids, fats, urea, hormones and enzymes occur in the plasma suspended or dissolved. The protein here includes antibodies to assist the defence system.

Tender Coconut water.

K.Landsteiner - between 1900 - 1902. Grouped them as A, AB, B and O. The cells of these groups contain the corresponding antigens - A, B and AB except O cells which has neither A nor B antigens. Because of this reason the O group can be given to any of the other groups. and therefore, a person possessing the O group is known as a Universal Donor. In the plasma there are Agglutinins which will cause agglutination of any cell carrying the corresponding antigen Eg: Group 'A' plasma contains anti B agglutinins, Group 'B' plasmas contains anti A agglutinins, and Group 'O' contains both anti A and anti B agglutinins. Thus Group AB person, can receive blood from persons of A, B, AB and O. AB blood group persons are 'Universal Receipients'. The following table illustrates the blood donor and receivers for better understanding:
BLOOD GROUP        CAN DONATE TO                       CAN RECEIVE FROM
A                           A, AB                                              A and O
B                           B, AB                                              B and O
AB                         AB                                                  AB, A, B and O
O                           AB, A, B and O                                 Only O
O - Universal Donor
AB - Universal Receiver.

Bleeding especially the external bleeding by any injury requires clotting. Otherwise the person will die of excessive bleeding. Fibrinogen, a soluble protein in the plasma, produces Fibrin an insoluble protein in the liver that causes blood clotting.

Blood platelets from the vicinity of an injury break down and release an enzyme that causes formation of Fibrin from Fibrinogen.  Fibrin forms a tangled mass of fibres which shrink and form a hard clot to seal the bleeding. After the clotting a straw colored fluid called  Serum is left. This portion of blood retains its liquid form indefinitely.

It is an Antigen, another blood group having an important bearing in blood transfusion. It was first discovered on a Rhesus monkey and thus attained the name. Then it was discovered in human.

Landsteiner and A.S.Weiner in 1940.

The Rh factor is an agglutinogen found in the RBC of most people and is called Rh+ (positive). People who do not have this antigen in their blood are called Rh- (negative). The Rh- (negative) blood does not carry anti-Rh antibodies naturally but could synthesize them if sensitized through blood transfusion of Rh+ (positive) blood. If Rh+ blood is infused into an Rh patient, the serum will produce anti-Rh agglutinin. If another dose of Rh+ blood is given, the anti-Rh agglutinin will cause climping of RBC of the donor's blood as soon as it enters the receiving patient. Thus, besides clinical group matching of blood. It is important to determine the Rh factor also for transfusion of blood.

It is the method of injecting a clinically matched donor's blood into the blood stream of another person, to prevent death by excess bleeding. It is generally done through stored blood alone, to prevent or to keep a check on the quantum of blood sucked from a donor, because anything in excess might lead to minor or fatal consequences.

James Blundell - UK, London in 1825.

Blood bank where the blood are stored under strict clinical conditions.

15.03.1937 - Cook County Hospital, Chicago, Illinois, US.   In India: Chennai and Kolkatta in 1938.

The force exerted by the blood beating against artery walls. The blood is ejected from the left ventricle into the Aorta, there still be an increased pressure on the walls of the blood vessels, meaning increased blood pressure. When the ventricle relaxes the pressure falls. Thus, there is a high and low pressure on the walls.

High: Systolic Pressure (Upper Reading) Low : Diastolic Pressure (Lower Reading)

Measured in a large artery of the arm called "Brachial Artery".

Sphygmomanometer - invented by Samuel Siegfried Karl Ritter Von Bosch, Austria in 1881.

High (Systolic) Pressure - 120 mm Hg .. Low (Diastolic) Pressure - 80 mm Hg

High: Anything in excess of 140 mm Hg is high pressure and is called Hypertension. Generally caused by excitement, anxiety, etc.
Low: Anything in excess of 100 mm Hg is low pressure called Hypotension. Generally caused by Malnutrition etc. Both of these may also occur due to irregular heart beat, blood thickness, elasticity of arteries, and resistance of blood flow offered by capillaries.

Capillaries.

350 ml.

Benezene.

Folic acid.

96560.64 Km.

Cholestrol.

'O'.

'AB'.

Fibrinogens.

Systole - Lubb; Diastole - Dup.

Haemoglobin.

40 mm Hg.

120 days.

Phagocytosis.

White Blood Corpuscles - WBCs.

Lymphocytes.

15 gms.

Pyrogens.

Vit.K.

Aorta.

White Corpuscle.

In the marrow inside the bones.

Spleen.

Clotting of blood outside the body.

4 degreeC.

Plasma, RBC, WBC and Platelets.

Haemopoiesis.

Haemoglobin - carrier of oxygen in the blood.

8% of total weight.

7.3 to 7.45.

20 ml.

200 ml / minute.

Rh+ (positive) blood.

Fibrinogine.

Pancreas.

Lungs.

Parathyroid.

Haemophilia.

Iron.

Arsenic.

Cornea.

March 14, 1914 at Brussels.

Haematology - Haemotologist.

Karl Landsteiner.

Low platelet count in blood.