Background: The writings of the 17th and 19th centuries about experiments and debates about transfusion were often analyzed and discussed in articles and books, but an analysis of illustrations of transfusion during this pioneering epoch can throw new light on the subject. The first transfusion attempts were as sensational as they were spectacular, and their illustration permitted both focusing attention and giving a scientific iconography, almost technical, to doctors and scholars of the time.
Study design and methods: We describe several illustrations of historical transfusions and point out common characteristics and differences, through the major elements used by illustrators.
Results: Nineteen illustrations are shown and commented upon. The transfusion imagery, through the representation of the three actors of transfusion (recipient, donor, doctor) varied considerably over time, as did representation of the procedures of transfusion.
Conclusion: This series of illustrations over three centuries reveals what the use and function of picturing transfusion over the course of time were: on the one hand, a didactic intent, in offering a documentary source concerning procedures and necessary instruments, and on the other, the function of legitimization, representing the act with a subtext such as numbered titles or in a scientific article, brought transfusion into the category of technical practices that were regulated by rules.