Nine Pints A Journey Through the Money, Medicine, and Mysteries of Blood

The Premise - This book is a collection of stories that the author researched, covering different areas of interest within blood science. The stories weave back and forth from the origin of transfusions and the use of leeches historically, to the cutting-edge of transfusion science and how the UK NHS Blood and Transplant runs their operations today. The book also takes several chapters to discuss social issues related to blood that still exist today, such as stigma around periods and the ongoing spread of HIV in sub-saharan Africa.

The Good - The subject matter is so incredibly interesting. The fact that nine different stories are presented also means that if you’re not interested in one particular angle, then a more-interesting one is just around the corner. Most of the stories also feel very personal and as such are pretty gripping. This is because the author has identified a star character to pivot each story around. The best example of this is Dame Janet Vaughan, a woman who pioneered the field of blood transfusion, and engineered the British blood donor network that was key to saving hundreds of thousands of lives in the Second World War.

The Bad - The writing in certain parts of the book isn’t very strong. Sometimes I found myself pushing through bad writing to get to the science that I was so interested in.

Who would like this book? - Anyone who has an interest in the history and future of blood transfusion and blood science.

A through overview of the history of blood Nine Pints is a fascinating read. Written by journalist Rose George, this book explores the myriad of complicated societal issues surrounding blood and its use in medical practices. She accomplishes this through the use of juxtaposition of the present with the past. This creates a helpful throughline, showing how past issues and events creates or relates to present issues. What one can appreciate from this style is that not only does it help understanding sophisticated issues, it also challenges the reader to reflect on perhaps some of their own beliefs that may perpetuate the contemporary issue. For example, a section of the book explores the history of volunteer blood donations. Previously, hospitals paid people to donate blood directly to a person since the process of storing blood was not created. She points out that often, poor people would be exploited and their blood would be questionable. She then shows how this help contributed to the 1980s HIV/Hep B outbreak since many blood corporations did not screen donors and thus many hemophiliacs were exposed to tainted clotting factors. This led to many countries banning the paying of donors for whole blood. She then explores the contemporary issue of paying donors for plasma, looking at a private Canadian plasma corporation and the health concerns that many experts point out. She interviews two people who used to be volunteer whole blood donors, but switched to paid plasma donations. One a student, the other a fairly fit woman. Both conceded that the money was a big factor. And even though the author told the student some of the history of plasma and blood donations, he was very nonchalant about the revelations. And it should be noted that while Rose George does editorialize in terms of sharing her opinions and moralize a little in her interviews, it is never done out of a sense of superiority. She aims her vitriol at the social systems and institutions that truly deserve it. For the downtrodden, she is compassionate and understanding.This particularly noteworthy since her investigations take her around the world. In a lesser reporter’s hand, it would be easy to portray the issues as a result of a “backwards” society. But Rose also points out how western societies share some of the same beliefs even to this day. By doing this, she avoids much of the Western bias many tend to have when it comes to other cultures. In conclusion, this book was a great read. It forces one to confront their own biases when it comes to blood. It also reveals how little issues concerning blood are discussed in the public sphere. I truly recommend this book for anybody interested

This book starts off really strong by mixing passionate phrases with factual information to allow you to become completely enamored by the romance that is blood. However, it falls off quickly. The first thing I noticed that I didn't overly love is the structure - or lack thereof. There isn't really a flow between chapters, or anything connecting different ideas besides the common theme of relating to blood. Structurally, I think this would have been much more enjoyable had it been presented as a series of essays, each with the central focus of blood, but with more room to branch off without seeming tangential. This would have allowed me to be more accepting of some of the randomness of the facts and the way they are haphazardly thrown in. I also think that George is just on the tip of the iceberg with his research. None of the information provided in this book is groundbreaking or hard to find on Google, and the authour does not ponder and process any of the information, and certainly does not add an additional unique thought before presenting it to the reader. I would still recommend this book to anyone interested in the topic, simply because I don't know any other books about blood that come to mind, but recommending a quick Google search of the term 'blood' will work just as well. [Also, the authour always ends the chapters in a way that you can tell is supposed to be poetic and make us pause before continuing to read but it falls super flat and it makes me wish she had worked harder on the whole book and not just the last paragraph of each chapter].