h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

One pint of blood can help up to three people because the blood can be separated into three products.

1) Red cells, which have a shelf life of 35 days and are primarily used for surgery patients.
2) Plasma, which can be frozen for up to a year and is primarily used for burn victims.
3) Platelete, which were mentioned above and must be used within five days. They are primarily used for cancer patients.

In the US, the rules for who can donate are fairly simple....

You must be at least 17 years old, weigh 110 pounds and be in good health. You must also have eaten within four hours of donating. A person with a new tattoo must wait one year before donating, as must a person who has had a body part pierced in a non-steril environment. A person may donate blood one week after recovering from a cold or flu.

A person may donate every eight weeks.

Nationally in the USA, only 5 percent of the population gives blood, yet by the time a person reaches the age of 72, there is a 95 percent chance of needing blood.

Also, in our population, the most common types of blood are O-positive and A-positive. More than two our of every three Americans have one or the other. In comparison, one in 12 people in the US have B-positive; 1 in 15 has O-negative; 1 in 16 has A-negative; 1 in 29 has AB-positive and 1 out of every 167 Americans has AB-negative. Type O is considered the universal donor.

Just a bit more fun and facts from somebody who has done a lot of public relations for the local blood bank!

- X

And there is the National Rare Blood Club, for those 1 in 167 who are AB-Neg. I only found out about this from reading a book, I Will Fear No Evil, by Heinlein.

Good one, I just finished reading that a few weeks ago. Bit of a weak ending I thought.

I'm only just over half way through so there's a way to go yet.

Yikes, I'll just shut up about the ending then!

- X

Well I think the start is better than some of his others...

Is there really a National Rare Blood club? If there is how can I join?

Taken from the book's fronticepiece;

Note: The National Rare Blood Club (mentioned herein) is a nonprofit organisation having it's national headquaters at 164 Fifth Avenue, New York 10010.

I guess contact them there or try searching for them on the web.
Not being in the USA or being AB- it doesn't really affect me on a personal level. I'm O+ if I remember right, pretty standard, which is a good thing as I have beniffited from donated blood, having had a blood transfusion many years ago.

Thanks!

I've always been strangely proud of having AB- blood. Don't ask me why, maybe just because it makes me special.

I need to donate platelets, but I'm not to jazzed on having to sit in one place for two hours. But, you do get to watch a free movie though.

I've only ever done the standard pint of the red stuff int a plastic bag.

As you're a 'rare' yourself, have you ever seen the old british comic Tony Hancock, doing the Blood Donor episode of his tv show Hancock's Half Hour (I'll let you guess how long each episode went on for)

No, I've never even heard of the show or the guy for that matter. Are there episodes on video?

I've donated blood on several occasions, so I feel confident that i've made my requisite investment. It was when I was in the military, and it was not as altruistic as it sounds. Anyone donating blood was given the rest of the day off, so the lines were quite long. On the upside, whoever got my blood got some powerful stuff, as it also had antibodies to yellow-fever and other third-world diseases.

Hancock was a british comic who had his own TV show in the 50's or 60's (I'm not that old). The upshot of it was that he went donated blood, went home, in the kitchen cut himself with a knife, went back to hospital to get his blood back.

I guess that you'd have to see it and be able to get the particular type of humour that Hancock was about.

I don't know. I may be a stupid American, but I love British comedy.

I've now just finished I Will Fear No Evil (R. A. Heinlein) and agree that the ending could bee seen coming from near the start. I did enjoy it though but thought that the middle third could have been trimmed somewhat. The start and end thirds were quite good though.