In March 1928, in Moscow, 53-year-old philosopher and scientist Alexander Bogdanov performed a blood transfusion. He transferred his own blood into a 21-year-old student, Lev Koldomasov, and that of the young man into himself. Initially the transfusion went well, but that evening Bogdanov began to suffer aches and pains throughout his body, as well as fever and vomiting. This was not surprising. Bogdanov had chosen the student because he was suffering from tuberculosis and malaria.