Nine Pints audiobook cover - A Journey Through the Money, Medicine, and Mysteries of Blood

Nine Pints

A Journey Through the Money, Medicine, and Mysteries of Blood

Rose George

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Categories:
Science

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Nine Pints
Biology & Composition+
Medical History & Transfusions+
The Plasma Industry+
Leeches in Medicine+
Menstruation & Taboos+
HIV and AIDS+

Quiz — Test Your Understanding

Question 1 of 8
What determines a person's specific blood type?
  • A. The ratio of white blood cells to red blood cells
  • B. The combination of antigens on the surface of red blood cells
  • C. The concentration of plasma and platelets in the bloodstream
  • D. The speed at which red blood cells travel through the body
Question 2 of 8
Why are medicinal leeches still used by modern plastic surgeons?
  • A. They extract dangerous toxins and bacteria from infected surgical wounds.
  • B. They stimulate the body's natural production of white blood cells to fight infection.
  • C. They secrete a highly effective natural anticoagulant that keeps blood flowing to healing tissue.
  • D. They provide a painless, biological alternative to traditional stitches.
Question 3 of 8
What major innovation did Dame Janet Vaughan implement to revolutionize blood collection in Britain?
  • A. She invented the apheresis machine to efficiently separate plasma from whole blood.
  • B. She established the Emergency Blood Transfusion Service, utilizing improvised resources like milk bottles and ice cream trucks.
  • C. She discovered the Rhesus factor, making battlefield blood transfusions much safer.
  • D. She developed the first synthetic blood substitute for frontline soldiers during WWII.
Question 4 of 8
What is the primary medical use for the plasma-derived product known as Factor VIII?
  • A. It is used to treat hemophilia by allowing the patient's blood to clot normally.
  • B. It boosts the immune system of patients undergoing severe chemotherapy.
  • C. It serves as a universal blood volume expander for trauma patients.
  • D. It is a key ingredient in antiretroviral therapy used to prevent HIV replication.
Question 5 of 8
What is a significant ethical concern regarding the global supply of source plasma?
  • A. It is primarily harvested from animal subjects, leading to widespread animal rights disputes.
  • B. The extraction process permanently damages the donor's bone marrow over time.
  • C. It relies heavily on paid donations from vulnerable, low-income populations, which can increase the transmission of bloodborne diseases.
  • D. The United States bans plasma exports, causing severe artificial shortages in developing nations.
Question 6 of 8
According to the 'conflict hypothesis', what is the evolutionary purpose of human menstruation?
  • A. To regulate the mother's body temperature during the early stages of pregnancy.
  • B. To periodically renew the body's overall supply of red blood cells and iron.
  • C. To produce excess hormones that protect the mother against bloodborne diseases.
  • D. To flush out sub-standard fertilized eggs because human embryos place a heavy, parasitical strain on the mother's body.
Question 7 of 8
How does the HIV virus specifically compromise the human immune system?
  • A. It attacks and replicates inside CD4 white blood cells, eventually depleting them.
  • B. It prevents the bone marrow from producing new red blood cells.
  • C. It neutralizes the body's platelets, causing severe internal bleeding.
  • D. It thickens the blood plasma, preventing antibodies from reaching infections.
Question 8 of 8
Why is there a growing medical trend to use fresh, whole blood instead of component therapy (CT) for severe trauma patients?
  • A. Whole blood is much cheaper to produce and transport than component therapy.
  • B. Component therapy routinely triggers a dangerous autoimmune response in trauma patients.
  • C. Fractionating blood takes time, requires added chemicals, and the separated components lose their potency over time.
  • D. Trauma patients lack the digestive enzymes needed to process fractionated blood components.

Nine Pints — Full Chapter Overview

Nine Pints Summary & Overview

Nine Pints (2018) explores the rich but neglected story of blood. Taking a panoramic view and approaching the subject from multiple angles, Rose George looks into the science of blood and details some of the institutions, businesses and taboos that have arisen around this vital fluid.

Who Should Listen to Nine Pints?

  • Armchair doctors fascinated by medical science
  • Anyone not clued up on the brilliance of blood
  • Squeamish souls who need to face their fears

About the Author: Rose George

Rose George is a British author and journalist, whose work has been published in The Guardian and The New York Times. Her previous books include Ninety Percent of Everything (2013), a look into the international shipping industry, and The Big Necessity (2008), an inquiry into the world of human waste and sanitation.

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