# Question regarding the survival of Henry Johnson (World War I soldier). Would he have received a blood transfusion on the battlefield? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [February 11, 2024, 10:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-regarding-the-survival-of-henry-johnson-world-war-i-soldier-would-he-have-received-a-blood-transfusion-on-the-battlefield/997429 "2024-02-11T10:44:30Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 4\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Octagon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/2acd7d/32.png) [@Octagon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Octagon)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2024, 10:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-regarding-the-survival-of-henry-johnson-world-war-i-soldier-would-he-have-received-a-blood-transfusion-on-the-battlefield/997429/1 "2024-02-11T10:44:30Z")
Given the severity of his wounds, would he have received a blood transfusion on the battlefield? How likely is it that blood transfusions would have been available to the 369th regiment? I couldn’t find any details on the treatment of his wounds. > **[Henry Johnson (World War I soldier)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henry_Johnson_(World_War_I_soldier))** > > William Henry Johnson (circa July 15, 1892 – July 1, 1929), commonly known as Henry Johnson, was a United States Army soldier who performed heroically in the first African American unit of the United States Army to engage in combat in World War I. On watch in the Argonne Forest on May 14, 1918, he fought off a German raid in hand-to-hand combat, killing multiple German soldiers and rescuing a fellow soldier while suffering 21 wounds, in an action that was brought to the nation's attention b In ... … Johnson repelled the Germans, killing four while wounding others, rescuing Needham Roberts from capture and saving the lives of his fellow soldiers. Johnson suffered 21 wounds during the ordeal.[[3]] This act of valor earned him the nickname of “Black Death”, as a sign of respect for his prowess in combat. ---
**Author:** ![Jackmannii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackmannii/32/311_2.png) [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2024, 1:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-regarding-the-survival-of-henry-johnson-world-war-i-soldier-would-he-have-received-a-blood-transfusion-on-the-battlefield/997429/2 "2024-02-11T13:55:22Z")
Did anyone get a transfusion “on the battlefield” in WWI? The closest setting appears to have been “casualty clearing stations”. ---
**Author:** ![Northern\_Piper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/northern_piper/32/5304_2.png) [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2024, 2:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-regarding-the-survival-of-henry-johnson-world-war-i-soldier-would-he-have-received-a-blood-transfusion-on-the-battlefield/997429/3 "2024-02-11T14:24:25Z")
That is what the wikipedia article suggests. Blood transfusion was still experimental in the early 20th century. WWI hastened the development of the technique, but I doubt that anything could be done on the battlefield. > **[Blood transfusion | Blood banks in WWI](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blood_transfusion#Blood_banks_in_WWI)** > > While the first transfusions had to be made directly from donor to receiver before coagulation, it was discovered that by adding anticoagulant and refrigerating the blood it was possible to store it for some days, thus opening the way for the development of blood banks. John Braxton Hicks was the first to experiment with chemical methods to prevent the coagulation of blood at St Mary's Hospital, London in the late-19th century. His attempts, using phosphate of soda, however, proved unsuccessful. > ... ---
**Author:** ![Octagon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/2acd7d/32.png) [@Octagon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Octagon)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2024, 5:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-regarding-the-survival-of-henry-johnson-world-war-i-soldier-would-he-have-received-a-blood-transfusion-on-the-battlefield/997429/4 "2024-02-13T05:29:15Z")
Thanks Northern Piper.