The Washington herald., 1915-01-10

| New York. Jan. MANY are the
] strange professions that are practiced
, in New York, but the weirdest of them
all, perhaps, is the one which has be-
/ come known as blood donating"
Seven years ago it was unheard of, but
now, to the medical experts. it is quite
commonplace. Since blood TRANSMISSION
has come into existence men who sell
| their blood as an industry have system
| atized and regulated their business until
now many are making a profitable lily Ing.
! Dr. Leo Buerger, OF 40 East Forty-flrst
street who was the first surgeon in
New York to transfuse blood. laughed
heartily when asked about blood do
mating" a profession.
Pride Themselves on Records.
Certainly there are professional
donors" he said quickly. Some of
| them have undergone it many. many
times. They pride themselves on their
record. We give them just enough CO.
caine to deaden the pain. and they go
! through the ordeal like stoics. Our diff
! fculty is that they seem TO feel it a dis
grace to acknowledge that they are
/ weakened afterward, but insist on put
| ting on their hats and walking out. When
they allow US at Mount Sinai Hospital we
! keep them under observation from morn
ing until night. or from afternoon until
/ the next udS- bul lLNN never SuiANt any
| III effects: We are very careful.
AS to the professional donors. they
are few and the field is their own. When
1 want one just telephone to the physi-
clan who keeps the list and one of my
assistants jumps into an automobile and
gets him. They take very good care OF
themselves. do these blood men"
But the field is limited, according 30
the physicians and the men are assured
of a monopoly. for it is not every one
who makes a good donor as they are
called by the doctors Some persons
blood is not suitable for transfusions.
/ The professional donor considers his life
fluid as worth its weight in gold. Their
names are listed with the doctors, and
they are called upon when their services
are needed.
One Per Cent Suitable.
out Of two hundred applicants. as an
average. only one will be found with the
right kind of blood; two is like strike
in the hlondyke, and three is-well, they
never find three.
Several tests are made by the doctors.
The blood is mixed in a glass tube, and
il il clots the giver is rejected. This is
common. Next the doctors examine it
10 find out if the donors blood dissolves
the red corpuscles of the patient, and 1t
usually does, whereupOn he is not ac-
cepted. But the most important of all
the tests is performed under the micro
scope, for a disease would be fatal to the
recipient.
The professional! donor takes care of
himself. He is an athlete and fresh
air disciple. He is always in trim, as
any moment he may be called upon to
undergo a TRANSMISSION.
Look Over Lists Carefully.
There are not more than seventy-fve
professional blood donators'' in New
York. Most of them select their jobs
carefully choosing the rich patients in
preference to all other offers. After the
, TRANSMISSION is over they carefully keep
track Of the patients convalesCence, and
when he is well enough TO sit up drop in
to see him in a casual way, not forget
ting to display prominently their band
aged arm.
"Ah," says Mr.. Richman, gratefully,
you are the fellow who saved my life.
Here is a check for $500 Such generosity
is frequent. according to prominent ply
siCians.
When the patient is poor he advertises
in the paper, and those who answer are
men out Of jobs and bench lOungers. For
their services they are paid from S25 to |
$50. But the doctors, unwilling though |
they may be personally, prefer a pro-