Tributes (Hall of Fame)
The AFVLA wishes to offer a "Tribute" to the doctors and scientists who are and have researched and dedicated their time and talents to obtaining knowledge about Factor V Leiden.
The Father of Haematology
William Hewson has been called the father of haematology. Initially working alongside the Hunter brothers in London in the mid-18th century, he advanced our knowledge of red and white cells (but mistakenly thought some red cells started as white cells and could not recognize different varieties of white corpuscles), showed that it was fibrinogen and not the cells that led to coagulation, greatly advanced our knowledge of the lymphatic system in humans, fishes and amphibians, explored the functions of the thymus and spleen and, investigated pneumothorax and surgical emphysema. His life, cut short at 35 years, was often intertwined with those of the Hunters, Alexander Monro and Benjamin Franklin.
Dr. Morawitz was a pioneer in the study of coagulation and his 1905 landmark paper is still regarded as a springboard for further study of the physiology of blood. He described four coagulation factors and also pioneered blood transfusion, initially without the benefit of blood typing.
Dr. Bjorn Dahlback (1949- )
Dr. Bjorn Dahlback is best known for his groundbreaking discovery in 1993 of activated protein C (APC) resistance as the most common inherited risk factor of venous thrombosis.
Discovery of Factor V Leiden
Factor V Leiden was discovered in 1994 by Leiden researchers Rogier Bertina and Pieter Reitsma. As a result, people who suffer from this defect can now be screened early on and treated with anticoagulants. Thanks to this Leiden discovery, their prognosis is much more positive.
