To understand the significance of 20 tomans, one must situate it within the economic realities of the 1950s. While prices varied, this amount could cover a day or two of basic food expenses for a small household. It was not enough to lift anyone out of poverty, but it was sufficient to make blood selling a recurring coping strategy.
From the hospital’s perspective, buying blood was efficient and relatively inexpensive. There were no costs associated with donor recruitment campaigns, long-term storage infrastructure, or nationwide coordination. Blood was extracted, tested minimally if at all, and transfused quickly. The risks—medical, ethical, and social—were externalized onto the bodies of the poor.
This transactional model reduced blood to a measurable unit, stripped of its symbolic, moral, and communal dimensions. Life itself became quantifiable: 300 cubic centimeters for 20 tomans.
Medical Risks and Lack of Oversight
The report hinted, though cautiously, at the medical dangers inherent in this system. In the 1950s, screening for infectious diseases such as hepatitis or syphilis was limited, and HIV/AIDS was not yet known. Repeated blood extraction from malnourished individuals posed serious health risks, both for donors and recipients.
