Bloomsbury, Belsen, Oxford: Janet Vaughan— Medical Pioneerby S.Evans, University of Chester Press, 2024. 382 pages. £19.99. ISBN: 978‐1‐910481‐26‐4

This book is an important record of facets of British medicine, including haematology, during the 20th century. Janet Vaughan was initially employed as a pathologist, but in fact she practiced haematology and was far sighted enough to have an outpatient clinic as well as a laboratory, believing in the integration of her clinical and laboratory work. She made a contribution to studies of vitamin B12, following up on the work of George Minot, with whom she had worked in the United States. Her most important contribution, however, was in organising blood transfusion services during the Second World War. Until this time, other than during the First World War and the Spanish Civil War, blood for transfusion had mainly been donated when the need arose. The practice was now adopted of anticoagulating and storing blood so that large volumes could be supplied when an urgent need arose. Plasma and serum were also prepared. Inventiveness was needed. Milk bottles with a waist for easy handling were adopted for storing blood, and in the early days, some of the transport of blood was by Wall's Ice Cream refrigerated vans. From a base on an industrial estate in Slough, blood was supplied to London (during the Blitz) and was provided for injured airmen whose planes had crashed and injured soldiers including those wounded during the evacuation from Dunkirk. On D-day blood was flown to France. However, Vaughan's contribution to medicine was not confined to haematology and blood transfusion. She also had a keen interest in improving nutrition, improving medical services and advancing the training of medical students. In 1944, she was one of a small delegation sent to India to advise on upgrading medical education, travelling for 5 days by flying boat to get there. As the end of the War approached, she was part of a group sent to Bergen-Belsen concentration camp to attempt to rescue inmates dying of severe malnutrition and to carry out research on how this was best done. After the war, she became Principal of Somerville College, Oxford, continuing meanwhile an active research career and involvement with the newly formed National Health Service. Her research now focused particularly on the effects of radiation. This very readable book is also interesting for the light it throws on the influence of social conventions on the practice of medicine during the last century, particularly the lower status jobs offered to highly competent women, the lower salaries paid to women and, for some time, the obligation of female medical practitioners to resign from some posts if they married. Those who are familiar with the history of UK medicine, including its medical schools, will appreciate the numerous references to significant people. Pre-War Vaughan worked at Hammersmith Hospital; I enjoyed reading that the young John Dacie (later the distinguished Professor Sir John Dacie) worked with her for a year on a postgraduate studentship. Later, in Belsen, she joined forces briefly with Pat Mollison (later Professor P. L. Mollison, one of the UK's most eminent transfusionists) with whom she had previously shared research projects. The author of this book took more than 20 years to research and write it and is to be commended for her meticulous research and documentation and for making history live.