Science Book Reviews

Blood and Justice

Blood and Justice by Peter Moore describes the ancient and medieval theories of blood and the history of early experimentation into transfusion.

At its heart is the tale of an infamous medical malpractice case that came before the Parisian courts in 1668. A pioneering medical researcher was accused of murder after an attempt to cure a madman of violence, by transfusing him with the blood of a docile calf, ended in disaster. The trial takes place against a backdrop of debates taking place at the time about scientific authorship, authority, and credibility and the morality of research in general.

Throughout the book, Peter Moore draws parallels from modern biomedical research to demonstrate that attitudes of the public and scientists towards medical innovation have changed little over the centuries. He subtly suggests that inevitably in a hundred years time - if not five - we will look back on the prevailing notions of today with scorn for their naivete.

On the whole, Blood and Justice was an easy, well-informed and informative read that was stronger on the science than at its inconsistent attempts at a novelistic style that would humanise the protagonists and the society in which they lived. While some of the early developments into the modern concept of blood function were included, a final chapter summarising progress that made blood transfusion an every-day occurrence in our times would have rounded off the scientific discussion of the topic well.

Overall, it was a reflective, philosophical work that deserves to be read, especially by those people interested in early medical technologies.