Few things are as unambiguously good as giving blood to help other people. In this country there is a long history of donating blood freely, a practice that is almost a defining characteristic of Britishness, even though there are 38 other countries where all blood is collected from voluntary unpaid donors. In 1971 Professor Richard Titmuss wrote a book, The Gift Relationship, in which he argued that giving blood was not only nobler than selling it but economically more efficient. Blood, he said, was a bond that linked all men and women in the world so intimately that "every difference of colour, religious belief and cultural heritage is insignificant beside it".

Small wonder the history of every people bestows a unique importance to blood. It probably marked a significant event in its history when Beijing this week abolished setting quotas for organisations in the city in favour of a voluntary approach, which is believed by many to be the safest way to obtain blood. In the UK 8,000 donations a day are needed and, while stocks are adequate, there is a constant need to keep the momentum up, especially as donations drop off when holidays such as Easter approach. Innovative methods such as "bloodmobiles" being dispatched to business areas and text message reminders are being used to make it easier to donate. It is a reassuring feature of Britain that despite unprecedented globalisation and commercialisation, it hardly enters anyone's mind to even think about charging for blood.