Book review: 'Blood Work' explores history of transfusion research

"Blood Work: A Tale of Medicine and Murder in the Scientific Revolution," by Holly Tucker, 304 pages, $25.95 (nf)

In 1667 Paris, a low-born physician with grand aspirations transfused a madman with calf's blood. Similar experiments already had been undertaken in England, and the doctor hoped performing the shocking new procedure in France would garner the attention he craved. Unfortunately, Jean-Baptiste Denis got a different kind of attention: He became the center of a controversy when the man died, after the third transfusion, and Denis was framed for murder.

For decades, society has taken for granted that blood can be donated, stored and transfused into people who are in need of blood for various reasons. It's only been a little over a century since the discovery of four human blood groups, allowing patients to be transfused without severe effects. What is less known is that Denis' role in the man's death effectively halted scientific research on blood transfusion for almost a century and a half.

In "Blood Work," Holly Tucker explores the history of early blood transfusion research and explains why Denis' experiment caused such an uproar. Society at the time was fraught with political and cultural issues that affected this vital research, and the era's physicians, though well-intentioned, knew very little about the inner workings of the human body.

It was still thought, for example, that "humors" in the body were the source of illness. If the humors were out of balance, physicians sought to regain balance, often by bloodletting, a practice that had been accepted for centuries. So the concept of putting blood into someone's body rather than taking it out was radical.

In addition, physicians began studies of transfusion on animals and then moved to experimenting on humans. But they thought it would be best to start with putting animal blood into humans, rather than using human donors. This caused a great deal of consternation in 17th-century society. Christians saw it as against biblical teachings and the superstitious were sure that mixing the species by putting animal blood into humans would create monstrous chimeras.

Add in the fierce competition between France and England and the political battles within each country, and the stage was set for an explosion. Denis simply lit the match.

Tucker tells an interesting true tale of a little-known aspect of medical history and presents the research in context of time and place to clearly explain why events transpired as they did. It's educational and mostly engaging reading.

If you go:

What: Book signing

When: Wednesday, March 16, 7 p.m.

Where: The King's English Bookshop, 1511 S. 1500 East, Salt Lake City

Website: www.kingsenglish.com

Also: In conjunction, the King's English is participating in the Writers for the Red Cross (see www.writersfortheredcross.org)

Cathy Carmode Lim is the founder of RatedReads.com.