Infected blood: an appalling medical tragedy

When Arthur Bloom died in 1992 aged 62, an obituary published in The BMJ lauded him as “one of the world’s leading authorities on haemophilia and von Willebrand’s disease.”1 A professor of haematology at the University of Wales College of Medicine, Bloom chaired the UK Haemophilia Centre Doctors’ Organisation (UKHCDO) “when the transmission of HIV by clotting factor concentrates was first recognised and early measures taken for its prevention.”Another obituary, published in the Royal College of Physicians’ “Inspiring Physicians” series, stated that Bloom’s “meticulous scientific work and dedication to his patients” meant that the haemophilia centre in Cardiff, which he headed, became “one of the finest in Europe, with an international reputation for excellence.”2 However, a recent caveat to that obituary, published on the college’s website, notes that “Bloom has since been found to have played a significant role in the infected blood public health scandal.”The six year inquiry into…
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