The Washington times., 1938-09-30
DIVIDENDS PAID
BY THIS BANK IN
\ U NJ A n LIVES
Blood Worth $4,000
Given GaIIinger

The very foundations OF rue9eo
individualism are tottering In
Washington today as an earnest
group Of young men in white ct
Gallinger Hospital continue to ex-
pand q bank which defies every
modern precept Of private invest
ment.
As assets Of the bank steadily
increase and its dividends recruit
more and more investors, the
steadily growing business Of Wash
ington's professionan n blood
donors Of all rugged
individuals-is threatened with
extinction.
BLOOD ITS CAPITAL
Blood is the only capital Of the
Gallinger Hospital B ankIifS
and death are the only dividends
it pays, and the keystone Of the
structure is unseRishness.
Since the bank opened on
March /, 1000 men and women
have voluntarily placed on deposit
there human blood worth $25,ooG
al prevailing market prices. All
of that blood has been used ana
the only return the investors re-
ceived Is the knowledge that some
unfortunate person unknown 70
them has been benefited by their
deposit.
Now far-seeing medical men
are contemplating establishment
of q central blood bank to serve all
of WaShington's hospitals. or .
number of small branch banks to
serve each individual institution.
THREE IN U. s.
At present there are only three
blood banks in the United States.
The one at Gallinger, one eS
Cook County General Hospital IN
Chicago, and one in the Philadel-
phia General Hospital.
Fundamentals Of the blood
banks sound childishly simple
when explained by DR.. Jacob
Weinstein, youthful surgeon who
established Gallinger Hospitals
institution.
I'm the old days, and I mean
only last year." said DR.. Weln-
stein, I'VE had q hectic time
when a patient needed blood
TRANSMISSION. Few Of the pa
tients here at Gallinger can al
ford to pay the $25 pint de-
manded for blood by proteS-
sional donors, so we would have
to call for volunteers. Priceless
time was lost testing, typing
and matching the blood OF those
who volunteered. Sometimes
so people might respond to 0
call, all willing to give their
blood, but none having the
type we needed.
STRIKING BALANCE
"Since the blood bank was
established all that confusion
has been abolished. We always
have the proper type Of blood
needed in our bank and it is
given to the patient without de-
lay. Then we ask his family or
friends to volunteer for transfu-
sions to replenish the stock in
our bank. We do not care what
type of blood the donors give
us Just so it is pure and healthy.
For instance, we may give .
patient q pint Of type one blood
which Is rather rare. His
friends and family may return
five pintS Of type two and four
blood to us. A few days later
we may give three patients
three quarts Of blood and re-
ceive none in return. But 1t all
balances up."
All donors to the Gallinger
Blood Bank are promised that the
bank will never fail them II they
need a TRANSMISSION. Only three
donors have voiced a complaint
/ about giving their blood to = per
son they did not know.
MOST DONORS MEN
Donors give their blood in two
operating rooms on Monday,
Wednesday and Friday afternoon.
The great majority Of the donors
are men because their veins are
larger" and none is under 81 or
over SIS. In no case Is more than q
pint Of blood taken from any one
donor. TransfuSions are stopped
Just as soon as the donor shows
any signs Of discomfort.
The donated blood is tested for
purity, classified by type and
placed in sterile quart jars in an
electric refrigerator. 1t will keep
for six weeks, but DIR. Weinstein
has established a four-week stor-
age limit.
It is rare when blood is not
transfused into a patient within q
week after 1t has been donated.
Before the TRANSMISSION takes place,
the blood of the patient and that
of the donor is cross matched to
be sure they are Of the exact
type.
Priceless blood Of patients who
have recovered from the almost
always fatal Beta Hemolytic strep-
ticoccuS infection and Strenticoc-
Gus veridans has been file in the
Gallinger bank THIS is Invaluable
, in treating patients suffering from