254 Miracles Ahead! 



Formerly the donors were rejected. Now two people whose 

 blood is of no value to the patient can go to the Blood and 

 Plasma Exchange Bank. Each gives a pint of blood. One pint 

 of blood suitable for the patient is then sent from the Exchange 

 to the hospital in return for the donated two pints. If only 

 one donor gives blood to the exchange bank, $10.00 is 

 charged. If the patient prefers not to send donors but to pay 

 for the blood, the cost is $20.00, or about one-half of what 

 was formerly charged. Thus, a large hospital with blood bank 

 (called a supplying hospital) is interlaced with the hospitals 

 without banks (called requisitioning hospitals) . What we have 

 is an efficient system of trading blood. 



"The next step," he adds, "is to extend this plan to coun- 

 ties that border New York. After that a national organization 

 is envisioned with blood and plasma exchanges all over the 

 country. Lastly, there is the prospect that blood will be given 

 by generous donors not only for war but for peace; for when 

 transfusions can be carried out anywhere at low cost the 

 demand for blood is bound to rise." 



Another important development is the use of red cells 

 obtained from blood collected at blood banks. In the past the 

 hospitals and Red Cross stations processing the blood have 

 thrown the red cells away. All they wanted was the plasma; 

 therefore about half the blood was wasted. Now, however, 

 the red cells are being used for wounds, infected burns, and 

 ulcers which did not react to the usual treatment. 



Progress also is being made in the development of a possible 

 substitute or supplement for blood plasma in case of short- 

 ages of plasma. The substitute is obtained from either beef- 

 blood plasma or casein, the chief protein of milk. Such solu- 

 tions have shown themselves as good as blood plasma for the 

 treatment of animals suffering from shock due to repeated 

 hemorrhage. Solutions made from pure crystals of all the 

 essential amino acids also were beneficial. 



