Blood: A History of Medicine and Commodity

Author: Douglas Starr (USA)
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2001-02-01
Features: The author, Douglas Starr, takes blood, this liquid that circulates in our bodies, as the subject, vividly narrating the arduous process of human understanding, utilization, and even creation of blood. The text of the book is graceful and flowing, reading like an epic of blood. After finishing the book, one cannot help but be amazed. Blood, once regarded as a divine substance in early human history, has now become a major commodity in the global trade center. In the 17th century, Louis Huyghen used calf blood to treat the mentally ill, opening the door to treating blood as a medicinal substance. In the early 20th century, a young researcher in Vienna separated blood. Subsequently, a doctor in New York discovered a method to prevent blood from clotting, creating conditions for further blood transfusions. In the 1930s, a Soviet doctor successfully used the blood of the deceased to help patients and thus discovered that blood could be stored. During World War II, researchers further separated blood and produced a large number of medications, providing a stage for the globalization of blood. In the past century, the research and utilization of blood have been like a grand and magnificent battle. The author, Douglas Starr, uses a wealth of facts to vividly narrate the arduous process of human understanding, utilization, and even creation of blood, making it a true epic of blood.