Blood Without Bullets

Harvard men need not risk their lives to give blood for their country. The American Red Cross is providing an opportunity for every student to make an important contribution to the war effort, by acting as a blood donor.

There is urgent need for the blood, and a quota of 200,000 donors from the whole country, 15,000 to come from Greater Boston alone, was set even before the war broke out. Harvard's own quota calls for 2000 volunteers, and they are needed immediately. Two hundred and forty men have volunteered already, among them eighty Puritans, who signed up after an appeal by House Master Ferry, at the House Christmas dinner. A similar appeal at Leverett has produced sixty prospective corpuscle contributors, and other Houses are planning to follow suit.

But only a small beginning has been made. No one should hesitate because of fear of after-effects, time, or even pain involved. Every volunteer is carefully examined, and he is only accepted if in good health. He feels no after-effects, and replaces the loss completely within twenty-four hours. The process takes 15 minutes. A local injection of novocaine makes it no more unpleasant than a pin prick.

All students are permitted to volunteer but those under twenty-one must have the written consent of the parent. Cards for this purpose can be obtained at Phillips Brooks House, and might be a good thing to pack into the vacation suitcase, if you're not carrying a draft card. The Government has so far abstained from demanding its pound of flesh from students still in college. They might in return give up their pint of blood.