[An exchange without negotiation: medical screening of blood donors in France].
In France, screening of blood donors is realized through an interview with a medical doctor. This article offers a sociological analysis of these interviews in an interactionist perspective. 80 interviews have been observed and analysed. Two types of situations are distinguished. In most cases, no problem appears in the interview so that the possibility of the gift is not call into question, whereas this is not the case in a small part of the corpus, in which the doctor starts a thorough discussion with the donor. From this description, the author analyzes the logics of the transfusion: the logic of the donors, who want to give their blood, opposes to that of the doctors, who seek to identify the possible risks. The article highlights the "pact" which binds the donors and the transfusion service. The donors accept the absolute power of the doctors provided they are able to give their blood. Contrary to the usual relations between doctors and patients, this situation excludes any negotiation.
Bastard
Benoit
B
Sociologue, centre de sociologie des organisations, CNRS/Sciences Po, 19, rue Amélie 75007 Paris, France. b.bastard@cso.cnrs.fr
D001782:Blood Donors / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D005194:Family Practice; D005602:France; D006801:Humans; D007407:Interviews as Topic; D008403:Mass Screening