The Basics

Here, you’ll find a dialogue with interesting facts related to it — at the A2 level of English. By VANESSA CLARK

Easy English

Dialogue

On pages 48–49, you learned about donating blood. Here, you have a chance to hear from someone who knows all about it: we talk to Judith Mulvane, a regular blood donor.

What is a blood donor?

It’s someone who gives blood for transfusions. Anyone can do it.

What happens when you donate blood?

First, a nurse checks that you’re well. The nurse asks questions about your health and whether you’ve travelled abroad recently. A needle is then put in your arm, and you sit there and relax for ten minutes while the blood comes out. It doesn’t take long.

Does it hurt?

No, not at all. Well, maybe a little bit when the needle goes in, but it’s nothing. And they give you a cup of tea and a biscuit afterwards, so it’s all good.

How often do you do it?

Two or three times a year. There are centres in every town.

What do they do with your blood?

It can be used in operations, for people who have lost a lot of blood in accidents or for patients with blood problems.

Why do you do it?

It’s so easy to do, and it can make a big difference to someone else. It’s nice to think that my blood is there if someone needs it. It could even save a life.

Show and tell

Now, find out more about another way to lose blood: bloodletting.

Bloodletting is at least 3,000 years old. It was probably first practised by the ancient Egyptians and was very popular in the Middle Ages. It was used to treat nearly every illness.

Bloodletting was always unhelpful and often dangerous. The patient might lose too much blood and die. There was also a risk of infection from dirty equipment.

When George Washington had a sore throat in 1799, his doctors removed blood from him five times in one day — nearly half of his blood. He died the next day.

Bloodletting went out of fashion around 1850, when most doctors came to realize that it did more harm than good.