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Edinburgh and South East Scotland Blood Transfusion Service

 Fonds
Identifier: GD14

Scope and Contents

Management 1930-1999; administration 1931-1985; publicity 1936-1986; history and publications 1930-1997; donors 1931-2001; photographs

Dates

  • Creation: 1930-2001

Language of Materials

English.

Conditions Governing Access

Normal 30 year and 75 year Scottish closure rules apply

Biographical / Historical

Origins lie in the activities of Jack R Copland, an Edinburgh dentist shocked by the death of a friend due to a lack of blood donors. A member of the Holyrood Conclave of the Order of Crusaders, founded in 1921 by Lt. General Sir Edward Bethune, Copland proposed that they set up a blood donor panel and transfusion centre for the Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh. This began in 1930 with 26 donors, rapidly growing to 350 by 1936. In the same year the connection with the Crusaders ceased and the Edinburgh Blood Transfusion Service was founded. As a result of demands caused by World War II, the Scottish National Blood Transfusion Service was set up involving five regional centres, one of which was Edinburgh and South East Scotland.

Extent

21 shelf metres: bound volumes, papers, photographic material

Arrangement

Chronological within record class

Other Finding Aids

Manual item-level descriptive list of available

Immediate Source of Acquisition

Blood Transfusion Service, Lauriston Place, July 1989

Accruals

Further accessions are expected

Related Materials

Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh (LHB1)

Bibliography

Fisher, David The Gift of Life: the story of the blood transfusion service in Edinburgh and the South East of Scotland. Edinburgh: Workers' Educational Association, n.d.
Masson, Alastair H.B. History of the blood transfusion service in Edinburgh. Edinburgh and South-East Scotland Blood Transfusion Association, 1993
Title
Edinburgh and South East Scotland Blood Transfusion Service
Language of description
Undetermined
Script of description
Code for undetermined script

Repository Details

Part of the Lothian Health Services Archive Repository

Contact:
Centre for Research Collections
Edinburgh University Library
George Square
Edinburgh EH8 9LJ Scotland
+44 (0)131 650 3392