In the previous chapter, we constructed a typology of blood donors. This attempt to classify the attributes of donors or suppliers of blood also took account of the pattern of values underlying different motivation and recruitment systems, monetary and contractual, non-monetary and non-contractual.

We now consider how the actual distribution and characteristics of donors in the United States and England and Wales relate to this typology. To what extent can donors in the two countries be allocated to one of the eight types A to H? We set out first what is known about the characteristics of donors in the United States, and begin with some estimates of the numbers falling within certain types.

The United States: the national picture

Taking into consideration double-counting, under- and over-reporting, the inter-state shipment of blood and other factors discussed in Chapter 4, we shall build our estimates of type distributions on the basis of a national annual collection total for the years 1965-7 of 6,000,000 units. We exclude from this figure collections by the Defense Services for their own needs in Vietnam and elsewhere, and we also exclude at this stage collections by commercial blood banks and the pharmaceutical industry for plasmapheresis programs (analysed separately later in this chapter).

It seems probable on the basis of the evidence provided in Chapter 4 that, after excluding the plasmapheresis programs, there was some decline in the national total of units collected between 1961-4 and 1967. When account is taken of changes in the size, age and sex structure of the population, it can be concluded with more assurance that there was a decline between 1961 and 1967 per 1,000 population (weighted) of the United States. For the purposes of this analysis of characteristics, we begin with the estimate of 6,000,000 units bled from donors and suppliers.

Of this total, the American Red Cross accounted for 2,932,700 units in the year ended 30 June 1967.1 Collections from members of the Defense Forces represented 7.6 per cent and from prisons 2.2 per cent of the Red Cross total. For reasons given in Chapter 5, these units (in all 287,400) are allocated to type F (the Captive Voluntary Donor).