In 1901, Austrian Karl Landsteiner classified human blood into three types: A, B, and C (now O) through the agglutination reaction when blood from different patients was mixed. Then, in 1902, AB type was added, completing the current ABO blood type classification system.
The method of determining blood types uses the agglutination reaction in which red blood cells clump together due to the agglutinogen on the surface of red blood cells and the agglutinin in the liquid component of blood (plasma). In the past, doctors in the 17th century attempted to transfuse animal blood into humans, with fatal results. This was because there was no medical knowledge that human blood is not one type and that animal and human blood are different. The discovery of the ABO blood type classification system made it possible to transfuse blood between people of the same blood type, which saved the lives of many soldiers, especially during World War I, and Landsteiner was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 1930 for this contribution.
Currently, there are 31 methods of determining blood types, including the ABO blood type, Rh blood type, and MN blood type. Blood types vary by country and race. In the case of Koreans, type A (34%) is the most common, followed by type O (28%), type B (27%), and type AB (11%).
In China, 48% of the entire population is type O, in the US, 45% of whites and 49% of blacks are type O, and in France and Russia, type A is the most common. What is unique is that the blood type of the indigenous people of Peru, the Indians, is almost 100% type O. The percentage of type O among the Mayans is also 98%. This is due to genetic factors and the heartbreaking historical background they experienced.
According to a study by scientists at University College London, 60 million people, or 10% of the world's population at the time, lived in America around the 15th century. However, due to the cruel colonial rule of European conquerors, the population of Native Americans decreased to 5-6 million. In the case of Peru and the Maya, the biggest reason is the infectious diseases spread by the Spanish conquerors. Natives who had no immunity to European diseases such as smallpox and measles were helplessly infected and suffered death.
The analysis suggests that type O has a somewhat superior immune system compared to other blood types, which would have led to a higher survival rate from these diseases. This part explains why the Peruvian and Mayan natives only have type O blood. As a result of the long colonial rule, the Peruvian natives still have not been able to escape poverty and underdevelopment.
Pope Leo XIV, born in the United States and a Peruvian citizen, served the poor in the slums for 20 years. It is said that the locals loved the Pope, who had a deep interest in social justice and environmental issues while working with them. Poverty refers to a lack of access to basic necessities, including food, clothing, and shelter. Helping those in such situations is the attitude of a true believer who practices the teachings of Christ. Poverty also means not being obsessed with unnecessary things. Emptying your heart of material desires and adopting a frugal lifestyle is the attitude that believers should strive for.
Thinking back to Pope Leo XIV, who worked as an apostle to the poor, let's look back at the meaning of the Sermon on the Mount, where Christ said, "Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven" (Matthew 5:3).
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