In 1941, the Army and Navy had joined the American Red Cross to establish the National Blood Donor Service — the first nationwide network of blood banks..But when Wanda Douglas, an African American worker at the Social Security Board, went with
race.undark.org/articles/good-…

with 9 White coworkers to give blood at a Baltimore donation center that July, she was turned away. Unknown to her, and to the gen at a Baltimore donation center that July, she was turned away. Unknown to her, and to the general public at the time, the Red Cross had decided

not to accept blood from Black donors for use in its military program. Officials feared that White servicemen, even with their lives in the balance, would recoil at the prospect of Black blood coursing through their veins. Douglas could donate blood, she was told, but only if

Read 7 tweets

artisbrutal2021

@artisbrutal2021

Feb 16

The origins of the Common Cold Unit
[which would later become Porton Down]
ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/P…

ABSTRACT - In 1941 Harvard University and the
American Red Cross provided an epidemiological
team and an infectious diseases hospital for Britain

https://twitter.com/artisbrutal2021/status/1600792941064499200

In 1939 Dr Conant, the president of Harvard University, wanted to organise a volunteer unit that would fill a real need in Britain. It was agreed with the Ministry of Health that their particular concern was the possible spread of infectious diseases

https://twitter.com/artisbrutal2021/status/1600792941064499200

Detailed proposals were worked out by a group including Dr Gordon of the school of public health at Harvard. In 1940 it was decided to send out a tripartite unit consisting of a team equipped to do field studies, a laboratory and an infectious diseases hospital of 125 beds

Read 22 tweets