Israeli scientists are currently engaged in the development of a substitute for human blood to be used in emergencies such as peacetime accidents or war-time injuries to replace blood fluid losses in human beings, Dr. Kalman K. Mann, head of the Hadassah Medical Organization in Israel, reported this week-end to the four-day convention of Hadassah, the women’s Zionist organization of America. The blood substitute has already been used successfully on dogs and is being rested on human beings, the Hadassah medical director revealed.
A member of the Committee of Specialists of the World Health Organization and of the National Health Council of Israel, Dr. Mann came to the United States specifically to report on scientific developments in Israel to the Hadassah convention. The convention was attended by 2,500 delegates and guests representing Hadassah’s 315,000 members in 1,250 chapters and groups throughout the United States, Alaska and Puerto Rico.
Dr. Mann noted that the blood fluid substitute could be of “extreme importance in any condition where the circulating blood volume is diminished, as occurs in shock of various types such as those following trauma and burns that can result from peace-time injuries as well as those that can occur in war, especially atomic warfare, where most of the human beings may become contaminated with radioactive substances making them useless as blood donors.”
In the case of blood plasma transfusions, the new substance will have the great advantage that no typing will be needed to conform with the peculiar blood types of human beings. Dr. Mann expressed the hope that the new substitute for blood plasma, developed by researchers of the Hadassah Hebrew University Medical School, will be in use by medical practitioners within the next few years.
At the concluding session of the convention today, the women’s group heard two prominent figures on the American scene propose concrete action to improve the possibilities of peace in the Middle East. In a speech read for him, Chester Bowles, former United States Ambassador to India, proposed the establishment of a Middle East development corporation to raise the standard of living of the peoples of the region, rather than the outpouring of resources on military expenditures.
The idea of seeking Arab support against Communism by pressuring Israel to surrender territory and re-admit Arab refugees was denounced by Rep. Hugh Scott of Pennsylvania, leading Republican Congressman, in an address delivered to the convention today. We have temporized with the Arab war against Israel far too long, “Rep. Scott charged, adding “too many statesmen on both sides of the Atlantic thought it expedient to de-emphasize our friendship for Israel in the mistaken belief that this might win Arab affection.”
Hadassah will build a new town in Israel to be known as Kiryat Hadassah and located five miles west of Jerusalem in the hills of Ein Karem, Miss Loula D. Lasker, national chairman of Kiryat Hadassah, announced early in the week-end, She said that building operations are scheduled to begin in January 1958, and that the first group of 160 housing units should be ready for occupancy by mid-1959.
The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
