J.D. Cash – författare

The title stems from the 16th International Blood Transfusion Symposium in Groningen, The Netherlands, 1991, held under the auspices of the World Health Organization (WHO), International Society Blood Transfusion(ISBT) and the Council of Europe (CoE). Transfusion medicine is a new discipline which has a wide remit. As defined recently, transfusion medicine deals with that part of the health care system which understakes appropriate provision and use of human blood resources; transfusion practice is therefore a collective activity linking the blood donor with the patient. Transfusion medicine occupies areas in which it is deemed to be important or even essential that medical practitioners contribute to this bridging process. The broad issues and complex practices are presented in the introduction by the WHO's Assistant Director General with emphasis on education and multidisciplinary facets involving transfusion medicine. The challenging subjects are dealt in detail with personal experience by 24 preofessionals from the UK, France, The Netherlands, USA, Australia, Germany, Sweden, WHO and the Council of Europe.This is a comprehensive but concise state-of-the-art presentation on blood transfusion covering donor and delivery system, ethics and legal elements, effects of modern techniques, importance of management and the future directions in this economic environment. The book has been divided into four sections which discuss both the facts and the fiction.

This volume is the proceedings of the 25th Jubilee International Symposium on Blood Transfusion and reviews what has been achieved and what can be expected. There have been many achievements during the last quarter of the 20th century - for example the Landsteiner discovery of red cell markers and the Huestin development of an appropriate anticoagulant. The proceedings of this symposium offer information on the future of this evolving field of medicine. The material is presented in four sections: blood supply systems and organization; technical and pharmaceutical developments; quality principles and risk management; and transfusion medicine for the patient. The text provides a comprehensive review of this area, along with possible future directions.

th It is a great pleasure for me to open the jubilee 25 International Symposium on Blood Transfusion here in Groningen. This symposium is co-sponsored by the World Health Organization and is being held under the auspices of the ISBT and the Secretary General of the Council of Europe, Mr Walter Schwimmer. The patronage was granted with great pleasure for several reasons. First of all, Dutch experts are very active in our Committees and have largely contributed in developing the Council of Europe principles in the blood area. Secondly, the Council of Europe is active today in the area of blood transfusion due to a tragic event, which occurred in 1953 in the Netherlands; following a flooding many of the blood products given for assistance' could not be used due to incompatibilities and differences in labelling. Some words to present the Council of Europe since the organisation is sometimes confused with institutions ofthe European Union: The organisation has been founded in 1949 to establish the principles of democracy and rule of law all over Europe. Since 1989, the year of the fall of the Berlin wall and the opening up of the iron curtain, these principles could be extended to the countries of Central and Eastern Europe. Today this makes the Council of Europe the only pan-European organisation with 41 Member States thus representing more than 750 million people.

In summary, the technical, scientific and medical aspects of transfusion me­ dicine continue to be critical. We all must find ways to provide a safer unit of blood and blood components. However, there must be a realization by all in­ volved in the profession that the management and administration aspects of transfusion medicine deserve equal attention, respect and support. Why? It is very simple! Without all aspectsoftransfusion medicine working togetherfor the common good - care ofthe patient - we will all fail. References 1. Standards for Blood Banks and Transfusion Services, American Association of Blood Banks, 14th edition, Arlington, VA, USA, 1991. 2. Blood Assurance Act of 1979 (S.161O), Senator Richard S. Schweiker, United States Senate, Washington, DC, USA, July 31,1979. 3. Administrative Guidelines for Blood Banks, American Association of Blood Banks, Arlington, VA, 1989. 4. "You're absolutely right: We goofed". Howard Upton, Southwest Airlines Spirit, September 1991:24. 5. Administrative Manual, Volume II, American Association of Blood Banks, Arlington, VA, USA, 1987.

th It is a great pleasure for me to open the jubilee 25 International Symposium on Blood Transfusion here in Groningen. This symposium is co-sponsored by the World Health Organization and is being held under the auspices of the ISBT and the Secretary General of the Council of Europe, Mr Walter Schwimmer. The patronage was granted with great pleasure for several reasons. First of all, Dutch experts are very active in our Committees and have largely contributed in developing the Council of Europe principles in the blood area. Secondly, the Council of Europe is active today in the area of blood transfusion due to a tragic event, which occurred in 1953 in the Netherlands; following a flooding many of the blood products given for assistance'' could not be used due to incompatibilities and differences in labelling. Some words to present the Council of Europe since the organisation is sometimes confused with institutions ofthe European Union: The organisation has been founded in 1949 to establish the principles of democracy and rule of law all over Europe. Since 1989, the year of the fall of the Berlin wall and the opening up of the iron curtain, these principles could be extended to the countries of Central and Eastern Europe. Today this makes the Council of Europe the only pan-European organisation with 41 Member States thus representing more than 750 million people.