D r. Roach: I read that in the 1700s, animal blood was transfused into humans to cure syphilis. Is this true? — T.U.

Answer: The story is a bit more complicated. Transfusion from animals into humans was certainly done, with published reports dating from 1667, sometimes to treat fever and sometimes purely for scientific knowledge with paid volunteers. Unfortunately, due to the high death rates, the practice was abandoned until the 1800s, when it was “rediscovered” and tried again but still had high death rates.

Transfusion of animal blood into humans leads to transfusion reactions as the recipient destroys the foreign material, which the body treats as an invader (like cancer or an infection). A transfusion reaction is usually associated with fever and other symptoms. Animal transfusi

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