History -- The blood supply -- Recruitment of blood donors -- Blood donor medical assessment and blood collection -- Blood donor medical assessment and blood collection -- Patient blood management -- Production of components by apheresis -- Laboratory testing of donated blood -- Blood groups -- Laboratory detection of blood groups and provision of red cells -- Clinical uses of blood components -- Transfusion therapy in specific clinical situations -- Techniques of blood transfusion -- Complications of transfusion -- Transfusion-transmitted diseases -- The HLA system in transfusion medicine and transplantation -- Hematopoietic growth factors in transfusion medicine -- Cellular engineering for the production of new blood components -- Therapeutic apheresis -- Quality programs in blood banking and transfusion medicine.