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The Great War (1914-1918) Forum

Remembered Today:

Blood transfusions - when?


Cynthia

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I've been doing a lot of reading of nursing memoirs from the Great War, particularly recommendations from the Forum. Just finished "Unknown Warriors" by Kate Luard, and also read Catherine Black's "King's Nurse- Beggar's Nurse."

Kate Luard was an incredibly brave and dedicated nurse, and her memoirs show a deep caring for her patients. She mentions saline transfusions repeatedly as a means to prevent shock in wounded soldiers, but never mentions blood transfusions. As blood typing, clot prevention and storage were in their infancy, when did the British Army start doing blood transfusions, and where? Holmes mentions 1917, but I couldn't find any other evidence of it.

SueL also gave me a really interesting set of transcriptions of the treatment of head injuries. Most of them were trephined, given an aspirin, and sent on their way if they were still conscious! Having been a nurse where you were instructed to watch head injuries because of post-injury swelling and coma, I found that quite incredible. How times have changed!

Thank you!

Cynthia

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Cynthia,

I have a reference (somewhere!) from our local newspaper for May 1917 which quotes a letter of commendation given to a soldier in France from his Commanding Officer for saving a comrades life by volunteering for a blood transfusion.

If I find the article I will let you have the details.

Regards,

Ken

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There is an article in the Daily Mirror of around mid 1917 concerning the allegedly 1st Blood Transfusion used in the War,by a young Artillery soldier,who later became a Doctor!;In the Outwell/Upwell{Nr Wisbech} area of Norfolk/Cambridgeshire border,his name:Gunner Laurence Hunter~Rowe; I only know of this as I unforunately just missed the Pair{BWM/Victory & a Plethora of Ephemera concerning him] @ a Local Auction some 10_15 years hence,& seeing them in a fellow Collectors Study some time later,when he showed me the DM Report.

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Cynthia

Just for the record the first human to human blood transfusion in England was performed in 1829. An American doctor is claimed to have performed the first blood transfusion about 30 years earlier.

Animal to animal, and animal to human transfusions had been tried before 1829, but not successfully. It's amazing when you realise that the ABO blood groups were not identified until 1901 and the rhesus groups not until 1946.

Any blood transfusions that were successful had to be more by luck than judgement. Of course it is possible that doctors had already appreciated the problems of transfusion reactions and had developed an early agglutination test.

The other problem they would be faced with was blood storage. Decent anticoagulants were not yet available and neither was refrigeration, at least not up to modern standards, nor even those of 50 years ago.

This means that blood donations would most likely be direct from donor to patient. I wonder how many soldiers would be brave enough to face that? Just think how difficult it is to get donors in our present 'enlightened' society. Back then it must have seemed almost akin to black-magic; and I don't mean the chocolate.

I'm surprised you were amazed by the treatment of head injuries. After all trephining would relieve pressure and aspirin acts as an anticoagulant. To me the whole approach seems rather enlightened.

Garth

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Hi, Cynthia.

As a nurse myself I would love to know what books you have read, could you either post or e-mail me your list?

Many thanks Mandy.

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Cynthia, if you haven`t looked already, I`m sure you`d find the Official Medical History of WW1 interesting. I recall seeing it in Accrington library reserve stock, numerous volumes, lots of illustrations. Phil B

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Cynthia

Blood transfusions had become quite commonplace by 1917. Initially blood was taken from lightly wounded and sick, who were rewarded with two weeks' leave and so there was no shortage of volunteers. They were taking place as far forward as Advanced Dressing Stations by early 1918. Blood banks were also instituted.

Charles M

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After all trephining would relieve pressure and aspirin acts as an anticoagulant.

Garth

Conversely, trephining would seriously increase the risk of infection in the pre-antibiotic age, and the antiplatelet effect of aspirin raises the prospect of intracerebral and extradural bleeding.

I would definitely side with Cynthia on this one.

Robert

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Thanks to everyone for the information. I have been trying to get a hold of a copy of the Medical History of the Great War that I can actually borrow here in the States, but no luck! I think Ianw told me it was for sale, but very expensive, so at this time I think I will have to wait.

Fascinating about blood banks and transfusions being available in 1917 and 1918. Part of my reason for asking was seeing no mention of it in the nursing memoirs I read, even toward the end of the War, but seeing the saline infusions mentioned quite often. As usual, the links were outstanding, so I thank everyone!

I still have to stand with my original opinion, Garth, as I have seen many head injuries that seemed to be fine, only to experience post-trauma swelling and kill the patient outright. A friend of mine's husband was in a car accident, in hospital with an enclosed head injury, released two weeks later, and then died during the night when his brain swelled. Trephination may relieve the pressure, but cannot always be the answer. One of the first articles I wrote was about a young boy who had been kicked by a horse back in 1891. The doctors performed several trephinations, but he did not survive.

Any neurosurgeons on the Forum? Not sure if you are one, Robert, but thank you for your support!

Cynthia

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Another good book is Roses of No Man's LAnd. It doesn't really go into transfusions, but like all of her books, Lyn MacDonald includes many first hand accounts.

Off the top of my head one mention of a blood transfusion, the donating soldier commented that it only required 2 stitches to sew him back up after getting the required pint.

Andy

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One of the first articles I wrote was about a young boy who had been kicked by a horse back in 1891.

Wow, Cynthia!

So how old were you when WW1 started?

Ken :ph34r:

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Ah ha, Ken, you have caught me out! I am actually a very well-preserved 111 years old this year!

The age on my application is simply a ruse, as I love to hear how young I look!

Cynthia

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Cynthia

I see Ken was awake when he read your post and spotted your diliberate mistake, I for one didn't.

Mnady

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Cynthia,

I'm just about to go away for the weekend but when I come back I'll see if I have the official medical history of the gt. War. I remember buying 2 vols. of something similar about 10 years ago but having got stuck in Verdun, it's remained in the shelves largely untouched. If it is what you want, you can borrow it.

Christina

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Cynthia,

There is an excellent article by KIM PELIS titled "Taking Credit: The Canadian

Army Medical Corps and the British Conversion to Blood Transfusion in WWI" from Oxford University Press....Journal of the History of Medicine and Allied Sciences

Volume 56, Issue 3: July 2001.

if you cannot get hold of this email me and I would be happy to send you it.

cheers,

Jonathan

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