A doctor giving a blood transfusion to a baby, Princess Elizabeth of York Hospital for Children, Glamis Road, Tower Hamlets, Greater London

Photograph taken 11 August 1939 © Source: Historic England Archive ref: med01_01_0516

An American female doctor giving a blood transfusion to a baby by a scalp vien. At the time this was known as the 'American Method'. The baby was “mymmyfied” with a blanket to keep the arms by the side and laid flat with a hot water bottle on either side. As well as receiving blood transfusions through scalp veins, babies also received transfusions through veins in their feet.

Location

Greater London Tower Hamlets

Period

World War Two (1939 - 1945)

Themes

Bottles of dried plasma being packed together with the giving sets in special cases for transport to the Middle East or where needed. The outbreak of World War Two had prompted work investigating the division of blood into its constituent parts, because whole blood was difficult to transport to overseas battlefields. Plasma is the fluid in the blood containing proteins that help blood to clot. Liquid plasma, though more efficient to transport than whole blood, was similarly difficult to convey to battle and administer in the field. Dried plasma was introduced, with the benefits of stability, more economical storage and transportation, and ease of preparation. The “dried plasma sets” packed and despatched overseas consisted of a bottle of dried plasma, a tin box containing sterile giving set, and a bottle of sterile water. It took minutes for the dried plasma to be adequately dissolved in the water; concentrated plasma could be obtained by adding less distilled water.

A doctor giving a blood transfusion to a baby, Princess Elizabeth of York Hospital for Children, Glamis Road, Tower Hamlets, Greater London

Location

Period

Themes

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