Blood Processed Beyond “Those Primary Components”

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The Watchtower organization imposes a prohibition against Jehovah’s Witnesses accepting transfusion of whole blood or red cells, white cells, platelets or plasma as independent constituents rendered from blood. This position is articulated by Watchtower as follows:

The above language speaks to the processing of blood for transfusion medicine. An additional feature of Watchtower doctrine is that it equates transfusing of blood with “eating blood through the mouth.”[1]

Regarding “eating blood through the mouth” blood is also processed beyond “those primary components.” This is accomplished by cooking blood.

Processed for Transfusion

Blood products such as cryoprecipitate and cryosupernatant are produced for transfusion by a process that begins by placing whole blood into a receptacle. Anticoagulant is added. Then the blood is separated by means of multiple mechanical operations involving a variety of centrifugal spins and extreme temperature manipulations, and with physical purges in between.

Processed for Eating

Blood products such as black pudding are produced for eating by a process that begins by placing whole blood into a receptacle. Other ingredients are added. Then the blood is exposed to cooking temperatures at and above the boiling point. At this temperature “those primary components” are completely fractioned into various proteins, water and other elements. Because much—if not all—of the moisture (water) is lost in this process the typical recipe calls for water to be added. After cooking the batch is left to cool and congeal as a pudding. Only a fraction of the original volume of blood is left, and that fractional amount is not in the form of “those primary components.”

For those unfamiliar with the anatomy of blood and of “those primary components” compared with the result of fractionation by cooking, the following light microscopy slides illustrate both:

The two images above show slides prepped for viewing by light microscopy.

The blood applied to the ‘boiled blood’ slide had distilled water added prior to boiling. The amount of distilled water added was 20% of the original volume of blood.

The blood applied to the ‘blood’ slide had a droplet of distilled water placed on part of the blood prior to fixing it for microscopic viewing. The droplet was placed on the upper left corner and allowed to impinge the blood predominantly on the left side.

The effect of desalinated water impinging blood, and the effect of boiling blood is shown in the images to follow:

Regarding blood processed beyond “those primary components,” as the images above show, black pudding is a product rendered from whole blood that is no longer whole blood or any one of “those primary components”.

If the Watchtower organization’s blood doctrine leaves it to each individual Jehovah’s Witness whether to conscientiously accept products rendered from blood that are no longer either whole blood or one of “those primary components” then Watchtower’s blood doctrine leaves Jehovah’s Witnesses free to eat black pudding on the same terms they can accept blood products such as cryoprecipitate and cryosupernatant.[2] This makes black pudding available to Jehovah’s Witnesses to treat medical conditions such as kwashiorkor and marasmus. It also makes it available as a food item for general dietary consumption.[3]

Marvin Shilmer
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References:

1. “Why are blood transfusions to be equated with eating blood through the mouth?”—(The Watchtower, September 1, 1986 p. 25)

2. See article Plasma, Cryoprecipitate and Cryosupernatant

2. Illustration of blood processed beyond "those primary components":