Boel Berner (2020) Strange Blood: The Rise and Fall of Lamb Blood Transfusion in 19th Century Medicine and Beyond. (OPEN ACCESS)

Boel Berner (2020) Strange Blood: The Rise and Fall of Lamb Blood Transfusion in 19th Century Medicine and Beyond. Bielefeld: Transcript. Print-ISBN 978-3-8376-5163-8; PDF-ISBN 978-3-8394-5163-2; ttps://doi.org/10.14361/9783839451632

URL: https://www.transcript-publishing.com/media/pdf/81/f4/ee/oa9783839451632eAdETX8EEvd58.pdf

In the mid-1870s, the experimental therapy of lamb blood transfusion spread like an epidemic across Europe and the USA. Doctors tried it as a cure for tuberculosis, pellagra and anemia; proposed it as a means to reanimate seemingly dead soldiers on the battlefield. It was a contested therapy because it meant crossing boundaries and challenging taboos. Was the transfusion of lamb blood into desperately sick humans really defensible?

The book takes the reader on a journey into hospital wards and lunatic asylums, physiological laboratories and 19th century wars. It presents a fascinating story of medical knowledge, ambitions and concerns – a story that provides lessons for current debates on the morality of medical experimentation and care.