2024.0126

Black and white postcard depicting blood donation being drawn from a patient with their arm through a gap in a wooden partition wall, circa 1949-1959.

Inscription

round stamp with following words: Premier Jour Les / Donneurs / De Sang / 17 OCT.59 / Paris On back of postcard: Une prise de sang dans un centre de Transfusion sanguine. / Le donneur ne voit rien de ce qui se passe, la vue du sang incommondant certains d'entre eux. English translation: A blood test at a blood transfusion centre. / The donor does not see what is happening, the sight of blood bothering some of them.

Production date

1959

Production organisations

Organisme de Reanimation-Transfusion

Associated organisations

Organisme de Reanimation-Transfusion

Labels

This postcard was issued by the French military medical unit Organisme de Réanimation-Transfusion, the Resuscitation and Blood Transfusion Service. The organisation acted as a mobile blood collection and battlefield medical resuscitation unit set up by French forces in Algeria in 1942-1943. Their function was to provide medical care on the front line and ensure blood banks were readily stocked in case of an emergency, as well as administering shock resuscitation. This was incredibly important at the time in terms of planning for the treatment of soldiers’ injuries as the army advanced into Italy and France. Like many blood donor centres in countries like the UK and the Nordic nations, it was important that this stored blood was gifted free of charge, representing a new France distanced from fascist ideals, differing greatly from Nazi Germany, which refused to establish a public blood donation base.

The imagery used on the postcard is not just for decoration; they were often used to communicate a clear message and drive action. This postcard depicts an anonymous arm donating blood. It demonstrates that the procedure was minimally invasive, which alleviated concerns for nervous donors. It also shows that the donor did not see the donation happening, which could be useful if the donor had a fear of blood or needles. The stamp on the postcard additionally shows multiple anonymised arms connected to glass donation bottles, emphasising the need for or celebration of multiple donors. It is also significant that the postcard was produced during wartime, suggesting to individuals that they just need to surrender their arms.

Sarah Chadwick, PhD Researcher