$Unique_ID{BRK02377}
$Pretitle{}
$Title{Does Blood Turn From Blue to Red?}
$Subject{blood blue red artery oxygenated vein veins iron hemoglobin oxides
reddish cells cell arteries oxygen color changes oxide heme}
$Volume{D-7}
$Log{
Red Blood Cells*0002103.scf}

Copyright (c) 1992,1993   Tribune Media Services, Inc.


Does Blood Turn From Blue to Red?


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QUESTION:  I have a $100 bet with a close friend.  He seems to think a
person's blood is blue and that it turns red when it hits the air, such as
with a cut or scrape.  Now I say that it is red all the time.  Can you tell me
who is right and who is wrong, and a reason why?

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ANSWER:  Did you really bet $100 on this one?  In my day it wasn't worth much
more than a dime, but you must be one of the last of the big spenders.  At any
rate you are now $100 richer.  Blood is always red, a bit brighter in color
when it comes from an artery and is well oxygenated, and a bit darker when it
flows from a vein.  Air has nothing to do with it.  Watch closely as a blood
specimen is drawn into an empty syringe.  No air present there, to change any
colors, yet it streams forth a bright red.  The idea that blood is blue, and
that royalty possesses blood of this shade, comes from the days when the
members of the court did little work in the sun, leaving those tasks to their
peasants.  The lords and ladies generally had a delicate, pale white skin,
against which the blue of the veins could be seen most clearly (yes, veins are
blue).  The tanned and darkened skin of the workers concealed the color of the
veins, and so the notion that their blood was a different color became widely
accepted.  Later on, when it became clear that the blood in the veins of kings
and queens is little different than our own, the "changing color" story began
to make the rounds.  However the color is always red, from the iron containing
hemoglobin.  Iron oxides (rust) are always of a reddish color, and so is your
blood.  Next time bet on green blood, there is a great story about that color
too.

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The material contained here is "FOR INFORMATION ONLY" and should not replace
the counsel and advice of your personal physician.  Promptly consulting your
doctor is the best path to a quick and successful resolution of any medical
problem.