Final answer:
Johann Friedrich Miescher is the scientist who discovered DNA, then known as nuclein, in the 1860s from white blood cells on surgical bandages.
Step-by-step explanation:
The scientist credited with the discovery of DNA from white blood cells in pus on surgical bandages is Johann Friedrich Miescher. This significant event in the history of genetics took place in the 1860s when Miescher, working as a physician, isolated phosphate-rich chemicals from leukocytes, which he named nuclein. Over time, the compounds he extracted came to be known as RNA and DNA, which are pivotal in the biological transfer of genetic information.