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After witnessing the recent humiliation of the national transfusion service of the Canadian Red Cross, it is sobering to read about the sacrifices through which blood transfusion services were developed in the first place. As unthinkable as it would be now to have no access to blood transfusion, a few decades ago it was equally unrecognized that such a service was possible. Douglas Starr's well-written narrative starts with ancient beliefs in the spiritual and emotional power of blood and leads us through two world wars to the spread of dreaded diseases by the very blood supply that had so laboriously been made available.
Starr chronicles the evolution of blood transfusion against the background of major historical events. Most references are to secondary sources, making this a popular history more than a scholarly one. The writing is pleasant and easy but becomes obscure when the author attempts to shoehorn too many facts and events into the narrative.
The desirability of replacing blood during severe hemorrhage was, of course, recognized many years ago. Early attempts to use animal blood were not successful. Transfusion of human blood under desperate medical circumstances was a logical successor to these unsuccessful attempts.
I was surprised to learn...