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.