The use of blood-type tattoos during the Cold War

Wolf, Elizabeth K.; Laumann, Anne E.

doi:10.1016/j.jaad.2007.11.019

Cited by 16 publications

(12 citation statements)

References 3 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…While blood transfusions were first performed in the early 20th century, the practice of blood banking and blood product storage was not implemented until World War II. During the Cold War in the United States, citizens in Indiana and Utah ranging in ages from elementary school students to adults were tattooed with their blood type to serve as potential blood donors in the event of an MCI . The idea of a civilian WBB was also described in the mid‐20th century to address limited blood product availability .…”

Section: History Of the Wbb In The United Statesmentioning

confidence: 99%

From battlefront to homefront: creation of a civilian walking blood bank

et al. 2020

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Hemorrhagic shock remains the leading cause of preventable death on the battlefield, despite major advances in trauma care. Early initiation of balanced resuscitation has been shown to decrease mortality in the hemorrhaging patient. To address transfusion limitations in austere environments or in the event of multiple casualties, walking blood banks have been used in the combat setting with great success. Leveraging the success of the region‐wide whole blood program in San Antonio, Texas, we report a novel plan that represents a model response to mass casualty incidents.

show abstract

Section: History Of the Wbb In The United Statesmentioning

confidence: 99%

From battlefront to homefront: creation of a civilian walking blood bank

et al. 2020

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…[16,25,26] Tattoos have also been used as a form of medical alert identification during emergency situations, although this is discouraged in minors and often not trusted by physicians. [25,27,28] In forensic pathology, tattoos are increasingly being used to identify and collate personal history of deceased individuals. [29,30]…”

Section: Henna Tattoosmentioning

confidence: 99%

Tattoos: A summary knowledge for the practising clinician

2018

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Tattoos are not a symptom of a mental disturbance. Most of the tattooed have simple motives and explanations: 'because I like it', 'because I'm a tomboy', 'to remember'. They do not accept the interpretations that the researchers describe and impose. Actually, the act of tattooing is more sacred to the subjected than the tattoo itself. (Kazandjieva and Tsankov [1]) Tattoos are becoming increasingly common in all demographic groups globally and consequently so are clinician encounters with tattooed individuals. Tattoos have the potential to have an impact on clinicianpatient interaction, ultimately affecting clinical decision-making and patient outcomes. Tattoos may affect the clinician's first impression of the patient, their physical and psychological assessment, and thus their management of that patient. [2] Furthermore, tattoos and their complications are often the primary reason for seeking medical help. Considering the high prevalence of tattoos, many clinicians do not have sufficient knowledge of tattoos and tattooing to make informed clinical decisions. In this brief review, we provide practising clinicians with basic knowledge regarding tattoos to enable them to forge more functional clinician-patient relationships and to guide them in their daily practice. What is a tattoo? A tattoo refers to implantation of an exogenous pigment into the skin or mucous membranes. Types of tattoos Tattoos can be accidental or deliberate, permanent or temporary, professional or amateur, cosmetic, decorative or medical. Accidental tattoos are also referred to as traumatic tattoos, and result from inoculation into a wound of substances such as asphalt, amalgam, graphite, ink or gun powder. Permanent tattoos involve a colourfast pigment implanted below the dermo-epidermal junction and retained by macrophages and fibroblasts in the dermis. Temporary tattoos resemble a permanent tattoo, but are painted or airbrushed or are a decal on the surface of the skin and usually last for a few days. Professional tattoos are created by trained individuals at a tattoo parlour, usually with a tattoo machine. The pigment is mostly evenly dispersed in the dermis. Amateur tattoos are often applied at home, using only a needle and one colour ink. Ink deposition tends to be more superficial and variable. Cosmetic tattoos involve the use of pigment to enhance the appearance of body parts, resemble make-up or mask deformities. These include permanent make-up, tattoos over surgical scars and nipple tattoos after a mastectomy. Medical tattoos are used to treat a medical condition, communicate medical information, or mark a body location for medical procedures or future review. Invisible tattoos are also called UV or black-light tattoos and are made with dyes that fluoresce and glow visibly under ultraviolet light. History, evolution and epidemiology of tattoos Tattoos are as old as recorded human history, dating back >5 000 years. Ötzi the Iceman, whose 5 300-year-old freeze-dried body was discovered in the Tyrolean Alps in 1991, was tattooed over h...

show abstract

“…Identification can be described as direct or indirect with direct associations being those in which identification is intended, such as penal, military, religious, familial, or gang affiliations and indirect associations those in which the identification is not the primary intention of the tattoo, such as the forensic identification of human remains based on evaluation of the decedent's ornamental tattoos (Miranda, ). While it could be argued that the majority of individuals do not decide to get tattooed for the purpose of ensuring correct identification of their remains in the event of a traumatic event, this was essentially the thought of many soldiers and sailors and the impetus for some of their tattoos (Kaufman, ; Wolf & Laumann, ). Service members may elect to tattoo their name, blood type (A, B, O system, and Rh factor), social security number, religious affiliation or branch of service on their bodies in order to aid in identification or provide information should immediate medical intervention be required (Miranda, ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Tattoos and tattoo inks: Forensic considerations

Miranda

2019

WIREs Forensic Science

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Tattoos and tattoo inks play a critical role in forensic investigations, and have done so for centuries. Tattoos are most useful as a means of identification for both the living and deceased. From their continued discovery on mummified remains dating from antiquity to their utilization in modern day investigations and prosecutions, tattoos demonstrate persistence and clues to cultural practices and identity. The tools and techniques of tattooing, as well as the phenomena of visualization of pigments according to the interaction of light radiation in human tissue is presented. An overview of the history of tattoos is provided, with a specific focus on tattoos in criminological, medicolegal and forensic investigations-from the characterization of criminals in the 19th century to the introduction of tattoo evidence in criminal trials of present day. Finally, an overview of the scientific study of tattoos and tattoo inks is presented, including the visualization of obscured tattoos, the chemical analysis of modern tattoo inks, and trends towards understanding the migration, retention, and photodecomposition of pigment particles. The purpose of this article is to draw attention to the importance and utilization of tattoos and tattoo inks in a forensic context-specifically highlighting that tattoos can prove critical to providing investigatory leads in criminal investigations and tattoos and tattoo inks should have an increased use in forensic endeavors moving forward, both in casework and scholarly research.

show abstract

The use of blood-type tattoos during the Cold War

Cited by 16 publications

References 3 publications

From battlefront to homefront: creation of a civilian walking blood bank

From battlefront to homefront: creation of a civilian walking blood bank

Tattoos: A summary knowledge for the practising clinician

Tattoos and tattoo inks: Forensic considerations

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About