History of pediatric hematology and oncology in Finland: a brief review.

The history of Finnish pediatric hematology started in the late 1940s, but this field of pediatrics was not officially acknowledged before 1979. The Children's Hospital, University of Helsinki started hematological services in 1950 but at that time there was no position for a specialist--it was a "spare time" work until 1980 when a hematology/oncology ward was established led by a full time specialist. Since the late 1950s the pediatric department of the Aurora Hospital in Helsinki has made an important contribution to the development of Finnish pediatric hematology. The Blood Transfusion Service of the Finnish Red Cross has also played an important role in Finnish pediatric hematology. The remaining four University Hospitals have now established wards for pediatric Hematology/oncology.