Blood transfusion in peace and war, 1900-1918.

Abstract

The practice of blood transfusion became commonplace in the first half of the twentieth century, a time that coincided with the practice of war on a hitherto unprecedented scale. A close examination of the process reveals that it was not a simple one of war acting as a stimulus to scientific and medical discovery. Most innovations had their origins in the United States before the war, whose main effect was to diffuse and perfect transfusion through greatly increased use of the technique. The result was that in less than twenty years blood transfusion changed from being a medical curiosity and procedure of last resort to a practical and relatively simple treatment that demonstrated its value in saving thousands of lives.