Blood and bioidentity: ideas about self, boundaries and risk among blood donors and people living with hepatitis C

Social Science & Medicine
Catherine WaldbySuzanne Fraser

Abstract

Clinical medicine and biotechnology increasingly utilise and transform human bodily tissues in novel ways. Today more and more tissues--blood, whole organs, ova, embryos, sperm, skin, bone, heart valves, cellular material, bone marrow and corneas--can be transferred between donors and recipients. Hence more and more people in developed nations have the experience of giving a fragment of their body to another, or receiving such a fragment as part of some kind of therapy. These systems for the circulation of tissues raise the question of what we have termed 'bioidentity'. Bioidentity describes our common-sense understanding of our bodies as 'ours', as both supporting and being included in our social and subjective identities. Within this framework, how are we to understand the status of detachable bodily fragments like blood, ova or organs? As parts of our bodies do they retain a trace of our identity after donation, or are they detachable things? What is our relationship, if any, to the patient who receives our tissues as part of their treatment? This paper investigates the specific case of blood transfusion and donation. It draws upon in depth interviews with 55 people who have specific experience with blood. They either have h...Continue Reading

References

Nov 1, 1978·Nursing·B Keeling
Mar 1, 1996·Transfusion·M E Parker
May 4, 1996·BMJ : British Medical Journal·P Howden-ChapmanN Woods
May 12, 2000·BMJ : British Medical Journal·A Legge
Aug 29, 2000·Transfusion·M L FinucaneC K Mertz
May 25, 2001·Transfusion Medicine·D Starr
May 25, 2001·Transfusion Medicine·H G Klein
Jun 24, 2005·Science As Culture·Richard Tutton

❮ Previous
Next ❯

Citations

Feb 27, 2007·Transfusion·Dominique GrassineauJacques Chiaroni
Jul 19, 2011·Transfusion Medicine·J Koster, O W Hassall
Oct 3, 2006·Social Science & Medicine·Jeannette GoldenJean-Benoit Hardouin
Jun 21, 2016·Anthropology & Medicine·Małgorzata Rajtar
Jun 23, 2015·Body & Society·Julie Kent, Anne-Maree Farrell
Feb 8, 2007·Journal of Health Psychology·Rebecca Sutton, Carla Treloar
Dec 15, 2019·Transfusion·Barbara M MasserUNKNOWN Biomedical Excellence for Safer Transfusion (BEST) Collaborative
Aug 15, 2018·Sociology of Health & Illness·Julie KentSally Dowling
Jun 12, 2018·Genetics in Medicine : Official Journal of the American College of Medical Genetics·Sandra S-J LeeDavid Magnus

❮ Previous
Next ❯

Related Concepts

Related Feeds

Bioinformatics in Biomedicine

Bioinformatics in biomedicine incorporates computer science, biology, chemistry, medicine, mathematics and statistics. Discover the latest research on bioinformatics in biomedicine here.

Addiction

This feed focuses mechanisms underlying addiction and addictive behaviour including heroin and opium dependence, alcohol intoxication, gambling, and tobacco addiction.

Blood Clotting Disorders

Thrombophilia includes conditions with increased tendency for excessive blood clotting. Blood clotting occurs when the body has insufficient amounts of specialized proteins that make blood clot and stop bleeding. Here is the latest research on blood clotting disorders.