The blood transfusion service of the republican army during the Spanish Civil War and its influence in Great Britain in World War II

Abstract

By the end of the First World War, the value of blood transfusion was widely recognized, but it was not until the Spanish Civil War (1936-1939) that large civilian blood donor organizations were created to provide preserved (citrated) blood for transfusion, for both civilian and military patients.

Indirect transfusion techniques were developed to administer this blood, with easy-to-use instruments, capable of being carried out anywhere and by any medical personnel with experience in the administration of intravenous injections. Efficient transportation and distribution systems were also established in order to adequately supply the sanitary facilities that served the moving battle fronts. This pioneering work enabled the creation, for the first time in history, of military blood transfusion services. While this was the case for both the insurgent (Nationalist) forces and those of the Spanish Republican Government, it is the latter that forms the focus of this particular study. This is made possible by the publications of Catalan hematologist Frederic Duran Jordà, creator and director of the Republican Blood Transfusion Service, who details the techniques and procedures developed during the war for the collection, testing, distribution and transfusion of blood. Further insight - especially with regard to the practical application of front-line transfusion - can be gleaned from the various writings of Dr Reginald Saxton, British volunteer with the Republican Sanidad Militar.

It is the intention, here, to demonstrate that the British authorities benefitted greatly from the Spanish experience in the development of plans for transfusion services that would prove crucial in treating civilian and military casualties during World War II (1939-1945). Frederic Duran Jordà, and Reginald Saxton were key advisers, together with others returning from Spain, including renowned British hematologist, Janet Vaughan. Moreover, the principles developed in Spain (1936-39) for delivery of military blood transfusion practice still support current measures in battlefield casualty resuscitation.