Richard Titmuss (1907-73) was a pioneer in the field of social social policy. In this classic study, which was named one of the ten most important books of the year by the New York Times when it was first published in 1970, Titmuss compares rates and practices blood donation in the United States and the United Kingdom, contrasting the English system of reliance on voluntary donors to the American one in which the blood supply is in the hand of for-profit enterprises - ultimately showing how a system based on altruism is more effective. This unique book is even more topical now in the face of changing health care policy and at a time when health and welfare systems are under sustained attack from many quarters.