Blood Typing for Everyone

* E. Ray Roberts,Martin County High School, Stuart, Florida Downloaded from http://online.ucpress.edu/abt/article-pdf/30/5/399/24436/4442103.pdf by guest on 24 September 2021

The authoroffers a "pre-packaged"laboratory for massuse. It shouldbe useful for new teachersseeking help with laboratorymaterials. He is Chairmanof the ScienceDepartment and ScienceDirector of the FloridaOceanographic Society.

Several years ago I faced the task of con- The advent of 3M's"Magic Mending Tape" ducting blood-typing laboratory-demonstra- and Johnson and Johnson's Preptic-swab tions with students of all grade levels. Spe.. made possible the reductionof materialsand cifically they were from the third through basic instructionsto a 5" x 8" card (Fig. 1). twelfth grades.As a travelingscience teacher The Magic Tape is water-proof and it re- for the Oak Ridge Institute of Nuclear Stud- places the slide. The Preptic-swabis an alco- ies, I was usually not personally acquainted hol soaked pad sealed in foil. Each compo- with the pupils. The groups ranged in size nent is "tacked"to the cardin its properplace from less than 15 to more than sixty that I with a small piece of conventional trans- would see for one period only. Thus the parent tape or with a dot of rubber cement entire sequence had to be given a logical pre- (Fig. 2). discussion,the actual testing and a wrap-up I believe that this system can help others critique within the one period. through the blood typing exercises. I espe- Needless to say this often resembled a cially recommend it to teachers of classes Chinese fire drill. Instructionsas to the se- having a minimum interest or aptitude for quence of operationsand to the disposal of biological science. Blood typing also offers, the dirty microscopeslides and other spoiled per se, a real interest builder for the afore materials sometimes were difficult for each mentioned classes who normally do not re- person to follow in an atmosphere of some spond to laboratoryexercise. agitation. At best I ended the session with a mess in slides to clean before the next y session. B L In more recent times I evolved a mimeo- L L U A Lh graphed sheet of instructionspattemed after those found in Sourcebookfor the Biological 0~~~~~~~~~~~ the ex- Sciences. This did help to organize o 0 ercise. But now the student had a slide, T ALCOHOL 0 lancet, alcohol , toothpicks and an H PAD 82" x 11" sheet of instructionson his desk. I P This was too much for any one to manage. K I often heard the crash of the alcohol bottle WHITE TOOTHPICK K hitting the floor. Fig. 1. Instruction and work sheet without materials added.

399 Exercise In Blood Typing You are being supplied with the following: 1. 1 pad soaked in alcohol 2. 1 sterile and disposable lancet 3. 3 toothpicks 4. This work sheet Once you have these you are ready to pro- ceed. PLEASE: The success of this exercise de- pends on step by step instructions. First-Arrange the materials on the sheet as shown. Second-Tear alcohol pad and wipe middle Fig. 2. Instruction and work sheet with materials attached. Photograph is by author.

finger. Downloaded from http://online.ucpress.edu/abt/article-pdf/30/5/399/24436/4442103.pdf by guest on 24 September 2021 Third-Open lancet without touching the cle separately. Use a different toothpick point. Then with a * dotting motion for each circle. draw blood. Then-Look for groups of cells (clumps) in Fourth-Place one large drop on the circles each circle. above. Raise your hand for antigen from Finally-Fold this card with all the waste instructors. inside. Dispose of this package in the Next-Stir the antigen and blood in each cir, designated container.

The Zoological Record Hormone May be Answer to Teachers of biology, at advanced student Control level, who may be unfamiliarwith The Zoo- logical Record, are invited to write for the leaflet which explainsthe purpose and work- An insect hormonewhich can be produced ing method of The Record and shows speci- synthetically may turn out to be a satis- men columns. factory substitute for the dangerous pesti- The Zoological Record, founded in 1864, cides and poisons now widely used to control is an internationalbibliography and three- common pests that damage and destroy way referencesystem for zoologists and those agricultural crops. Scientists at the U. S. in related sciences. Volumes, published an- Department of Agriculture'sResearch Cen- nually, consist of twenty sections: eighteen ter here announced the new discovery record a year'sliterature relating to a during a three-day open house. Dr. William or class of the animal kingdom, another sec- E. Bowers, Research Center, U. S. Depart- tion is devoted to comprehensive , ment of Agriculture, Beltsville, Maryland, and the final section lists new genera and says the insect juvenile hormone, when ap- subgenera. Each section is divided into an plied to some adult insect pests, renders Author Index, a Subject and a Systematic eggs sterile. It also is the chemical key Index, and is designed for easy referenceand controlling the protective resting state, retrieval. The Subject Index, for instance, is known as diapause, of certain . The arrangedunder broad headings such as De- hormone could be used to "awaken"insects velopment;Distribution; Ecology; Evolution, in midwinter when weather conditions and Variation;Physiology and Bio- Genetics would automatically kill them. As few as chemistry;Structure; Reproduction and Sex, besides many others. 50 microgramsapplied to the abdomens of alfalfa weevils and cereal leaf in- Complete volumes or separate sections are available; further information may be ob- duces the inactive insects to feed, mate and tained from: The PublicationDept. (ABT), lay eggs (infertile). The juvenile hormone The Zoological Society of London, Regent's was originally discovered by a Harvard Park, London N.W.1, England. University biologist, Dr. Carroll Williams.

400 The American Biology Teacher, May 1968