Show SERVICE m IN PEACE AND WARRed WAnI WAR WAn WARRed I I Red Cross National Blood Program Called Just as Important Now How in Defense Security As It If Was as a Survival Factor in Wartime I By General George C C. Marshall of Americans are fa familiar tad la MILLIONS with the wide nation blood donor service of the American Ameri Amert can Red fled Cross during the war because be bed cause most of them made a personal per contribution of their own blood They knew that their donations donations dona dona- saved the lives of many soldiers sold sol diers dion and sailors Few however are aware that wartime service has been revived and expanded bythe by bythe t the Red fled Cross 1 Now r Now it Is called Ji the national k blood program il It is probably i Just as BI Important E A I f today for our defense deA de de- y and security i ti as it was during the war when it ft was a major factor factor fac tor In the MARSHALL I al of more than 97 07 per cent of all wounded American Ameri Amen can servicemen Since taking up my new responsibilities responsibilities with Red Cross in October I have visited a large number of cities from coast to coast conferring conferring confer confer- ring with Red Cross leaders I found in most regions the blood program of the Red Cross aroused greater interest and made a greater appeal to the Red Cross workers than any other activity at this time They felt that they were making mak mak- making ing a very important contribution tion to the health of the people and were establishing the organized organized or or- framework to meet any great disaster Instantly and ef effectively ei- ei In this his phase of relief A national military emergency might possibly require more blood in one week than all our requirements requirements require require- ments during one year of the late war In a great emergency volunteer volun volun- volunteer teer donors would come forward Inthe in inthe inthe the desired numbers but without the framework of the system now being progressively established the contributions of these volunteers is isTo rh To help speed his bis recovery a small patient Is given a transfusion transfusion transfusion trans trans- fusion with blood made available through the national blood pro pro- gram cram could not be processed and made Immediately available to save the theU U lives s of the e Injured There is only one known source from which this blood can be obtained ob oh- tamed and that is from the veins of ot living healthy people I found that there were 30 regional region region- al centers of the national blood program In operation Blood was being made available through these centers to 1550 hospitals located in areas embracing more than 40 million people Mobile MoblIe units had visited some 1100 smaller communities com corn and about Red Cross chapters were participating in the work of ot these regional centers All this had been accomplished In less than two years years' time In times of or peace vast quantities quantities quan quan- of blood are needed for people undergoing major surgery surgery sur sur- gery for accident victims for far childbirths childbirth for people suffering suffer suffer- big ing from anemia or other blood diseases Research ha hat has already uncovered the fact that one pint of blood which formerly helped only one person can now be broken down Into fractions which may provide treatment for a dozen or more cr erses ses While the whole country is not yet ret covered by the network of Red Cross Cros blood centers every community community com com- now receives benefits from the program through the blood fractions or derivatives which it provides I have learned that one of ot these fractions has been distributed to every very state of ot the union to prevent or modify measles I am told that it lessens the dangers dangen of at complications complications compU which sometimes follow me measles such uch as pneumonia some lame types type of ot sleeping sickness middle middle- ear infection and heart Impairment Impair ment meat Last year vials of ot this serum erum were supplied by Red Cross to the nations nation's physicians I 1 r t 2 M Z M a 4 W Immune serum globulin a blood derivative used to mod mod- modify fly or prevent measles Is being used here on a year two girl following her ber exposure to the disease More than two million mil lion vials of serum scrum have bave been distributed since 1944 by Red RedCross RedCross RedCross Cross to physicians throughout the nation Another blood derivative Is said to be invaluable in treatment of shock burns and certain kidney and liv liver r ailments and there still are others now in use or being clinically clin Ic Uy tested for future availability Most of this fractionation to date has been done with surplus war plasma returned to the Red Crossby Cross Crossby Crossby by the army and navy In one case a ship that had been sunk in Manila Bay was raised and the plasma aboard was found to be in satisfactory satisfactory satis satis- factory condition for this fraction fraction- atlon But today this supply is about exhausted Therefore re the national blood program is being stepped up to meet this special need It Is estimated that a donation of 01 one pint of blood from one out of or every 25 American adults will be required each year to meet the nations nation's normal demands demands de de- do mands maans for tor whole blood and blood fractions People have asked me why the Red Cross does not require pint pint- pint for for pint replacement by the recipients recipient's recipients recipient's recipients recipient's ent's friends or family To demand replacement In kind rather than replenishment or to make any charge whatever for blood which has been donated voluntarily would be a departure from the basic Red RedCross RedCross RedCross Cross principle of helping people solely on the basis of ot need Some people ask why the program program pro pro- program gram must operate on a nationwIde nationwide nationwide nation nation- wide basis The answer is simple A major disaster would require the instant shipment of ot large quantities quantities ties of ot blood from one section of ofa a I Id i r 1 4 fl i 1 r. r ry Before Belore leaving Rochester N N. N Y to set up blood center In Hornell the driver of a Bloodmobile Blood Blood- mobile confers centers on the route to be taken with a Red Cross nurse and volunteer Motor Service Ice driver the country to another Only a ana national na na- hookup to use a radio term would facilitate this service to the Injured A frequent question is whether this program is not a form torm of so so- socialized 0 medicine Socialized medi cine tine Implies compulsion It also im plies governmental control There is neither in the Red Cross program which is based on an entirely vol procedure and Is not sub under the law to government control Up to the present time the major control and financing is b centered at American Red Cross national head quarters but this procedure has haa only been followed a as a. necessary to get the tho program under way A gradual decentralization Is la now being 8 initiated d which will transfer h the major burden of direction and financing to local chapters |