Utofelo-gazi—Imbali Ende Enamagingxigingxi

“Ukuba iiseli ezibomvu zegazi beziliyeza namhlanje, bekuya kuba nzima gqitha ukuba zinikwe imvume esemthethweni.”—UGqr. Jeffrey McCullough.

EBUSIKA ngowe-1667, igeza elindlongondlongo uAntoine Mauroy lasiwa kuJean-Baptiste Denis, ugqirha odumileyo kaKumkani uLouis XIV waseFransi. UDenis “wayenonyango” olululo lwempambano kaMauroy—ukutofela igazi lethole lenkomo, awayecinga ukuba liya kumthomalalisa lo mguli. Kodwa akazange athi ncam uMauroy. Ewe kona, emva kokuba elitofelwe okwesibini, imeko yakhe yaba bhetele. Kodwa kungekudala impambano yaphinda yayongamela le ndoda ingumFrentshi, yaye kungekudala yafa.

Nangona kamva kwafunyaniswa ukuba eyona nto yabulala uMauroy yityhefu, ulingelo lukaDenis lwegazi lesilwanyana lwabangela amagingxigingxi angathethekiyo eFransi. Ekugqibeleni, ngowe-1670 le nkqubo yapheliswa. Ekuhambeni kwexesha, iPalamente yaseNgilani nopopu bazeka mzekweni. Utofelo-gazi lwalibaleka kangangeminyaka eli-150 emva koko.

Iingozi Ezazikho Ngaphambili

Kwinkulungwane ye-19, utofelo-gazi lwaphinda lwakho. Owayehamba phambili ekulubuyiseleni yayiyingcali yokubelekisa eliNgesi uJames Blundell. Esebenzisa ubuchule bakhe nezixhobo zakhe ezisemgangathweni—nokuma kwakhe ngelokuba kufanele kusetyenziswe igazi lomntu kuphela—uBlundell wabuyisela utofelo-gazi kwingqalelo yabantu.

Kodwa ngowe-1873, uF. Gesellius, ugqirha wasePoland, waphinda wakuphazamisa ukubuya kotofelo-gazi ngokufumanisa le nto yothusayo: Ngaphezu kwesiqingatha sotofelo-gazi oluye lwenziwa luye lwaphelela ekufeni. Besakuva ngako oku, oogqirha abadumileyo bayigxeka le nkqubo. Ukuthandwa kotofelo-gazi kwaphinda kwathotha.

Kwandula ke, ngowe-1878, ugqirha ongumFrentshi uGeorges Hayem weza nomxube wesaline, awathi unokuthabatha indawo yegazi. Ngokungafaniyo negazi, umxube wesaline wawungenazingxaki, wawunganqumi yaye kwakulula ukuwuthutha. Siyaqondakala isizathu sokuba, umxube isaline kaHayem usetyenziswe ngokubanzi. Noko ke, umnqa ngowokuba kwaphindwa kwathandwa igazi. Ngoba?

Ngeminyaka yee-1900, ingcali ngezifo yaseOstriya uKarl Landsteiner, wafumanisa ukuba igazi liziindidi ngeendidi, waza wafumanisa ukuba olunye udidi lwegazi alusoloko luhambelana nolunye. Akumangalisi ukuba, izihlandlo ezininzi ngaphambili xa bekutofelwa igazi, oko kuye kwaphelela kwintlekele! Ngoku loo nto inokutshintshwa, ngokuqiniseka ukuba udidi lwegazi elinikelweyo liyafana nelalowo lifakwa kuye. Benolu lwazi, oogqirha baphinda bakha intembelo kutofelo-gazi—kanye ngexesha leMfazwe Yehlabathi I.

Utofelo-gazi Nemfazwe

Ebudeni beMfazwe Yehlabathi I, igazi lalitofelwa ngokukhululekileyo kumajoni awenzakeleyo. Kambe ke, igazi linquma msinya, yaye ngaphambili kwakusenokungabi lula ukulithuthela kwithafa ledabi. Kodwa ebutsheni benkulungwane yama-20, uGqr. Richard Lewisohn, weSibhedlele iMount Sinai eNew York, wenza ulingelo oluphumelelayo ngomxube othintela ukunquma kwegazi ekuthiwa yisodium citrate. Le nkqubela ichwayitisayo yajongwa ngabanye oogqirha njengommangaliso. UGqr. Bertram M. Bernheim, ugqirha owayedumile ngexesha lakhe wabhala wathi: “Kwakufana nokuba ilanga lenziwe lema ngxi.”

KwiMfazwe Yehlabathi II igazi lalifuneka ngokwenene. Kuyo yonke indawo kwakuzele izibhengezo ezinamazwi athi “Nikela Ngegazi Ngoku,” “Igazi Lakho Linokumsindisa,” nathi “Unikele Ngegazi. Ngaba Uya Kunikela Ngelakho?” Kwasatyelwa kakhulu kwezi zicelo zegazi. Ebudeni beMfazwe Yehlabathi II, kwanikelwa ngezixa ezili-13 000 000 eUnited States. Kuqikelelwa ukuba eLondon kwaqokelelwa kwaza kwasasazwa iilitha ezingama-260 000. Kambe ke, utofelo-gazi lwaluneengozi ezininzi zempilo, njengoko kwakhawuleza kwabonakala.

Isifo Esibangelwa Ligazi

Emva kweMfazwe Yehlabathi II, inkqubela kwezamayeza yabangela ukuba kube lula ukwenza utyando ekwakungelula ukulenza ngaphambili. Loo nto yabangela ukuba, kuvuke ishishini elenza izigidi ngezigidi zeerandi ngonyaka elanikela ngegazi ukuze litofelwe, kangangokuba oogqirha baqalisa ukujonga igazi njengenkqubo esisiseko yotyando.

Noko ke, kungekudala kwabakho inkxalabo ngesifo esibangelwa lutofelo-gazi. Ngokomzekelo, ebudeni beMfazwe yaseKorea, malunga nama-22 ekhulwini abo batofelwa isiyilelo-gazi baba nesifo sokudumba kwesibindi—phantse oko kuwuphinda kathathu umlinganiselo weMfazwe Yehlabathi II. Ngeminyaka yee-1970, iU.S. Centers for Disease Control yaqikelela ukuba bangama-3 500 ngonyaka abantu ababulawa sisifo sokudumba kwesibindi esibangelwa lutofelo-gazi. Abanye baqikelela elo nani njengeliphakame ngokuphindwe kalishumi.

Ngenxa yokuhlolisiswa kakuhle nokulikhetha kakuhle igazi elinikelwayo, inani labantu abasulelwa yihepatitis-B liye lancipha. Kodwa kwavela uhlobo olutsha nolubulalayo lwale ntsholongwane—ihepatitis C—nolwaba yingozi gqitha. Kuqikelelwa ukuba abantu abazizigidi ezine baseMerika basulelwa yile ntsholongwane, amakhulu amawaka abo ayifumana ngotofelo-gazi. Liyinyaniso elokuba, uhlolisiso olunzulu oluye lwenziwa luye ekugqibeleni lwakunciphisa ukwanda kwehepatitis C. Sekunjalo, abanye boyikela ukuba kusenokuvela amanye amakhwiniba aya kuqondwa sele kophulwe.

Nali Elinye Ibholo: Igazi Elasulelwe YiHIV

Kwiminyaka yee-1980, kwafunyaniswa ukuba igazi linokwasulelwa yiHIV, intsholongwane ebangela uGawulayo. Ekuqaleni, imizi yogcino-gazi yacaphuka isakucinga ukuba igazi layo linokuba nesifo. Ekuqaleni uninzi lwale mizi lwalungaqinisekanga ngesi sisongelo seHIV. Ngokutsho kukaGqr. Bruce Evatt, “kwaba ngathi mntu uthile obethwabaza entlango uthi, ‘ndibone isidalwa esisuka kwesinye isijikelezi-langa.’ Abantu bayamva kodwa abamkholelwa.”

Noko ke, kumazwe ngamazwe kuye kwaqhaqhwa amabholo aphathelele igazi elasulelwe yiHIV. Kuqikelelwa ukuba eFransi, abantu abaphakathi kwama-6 000 nama-8 000 basulelwa yiHIV ngenxa yegazi abalitofelwa phakathi kowe-1982 nowe-1985. Kuthiwa utofelo-gazi luye lwabangela i-10 ekhulwini lokwasulelwa kwabantu yiHIV kwiAfrika yonke lwaza lwabangela ama-40 ekhulwini okwasulelwa kwabantu nguGawulayo ePakistan. Namhlanje, ngenxa yokuphuculwa kwendlela yokuhlola, ukudluliselwa kweHIV ngotofelo-gazi kunqabile kumazwe ahambele phambili kwezoqoqosho. Noko ke, ukudluliselwa kwayo kuqhubeka kuyingxaki kumazwe asakhasayo kuba azikho iinkqubo zokuhlola.

Kuyaqondakala ukuba, kwiminyaka yakutshanje kuye kwakho umdla ongakumbi kunyango notyando ngaphandle kwegazi. Kodwa ngaba lona lukhuselekile?

[Ibhokisi ekwiphepha 6]

Utofelo-gazi—Alunyanzeliswa Zezamayeza

Nyaka ngamnye eUnited States kuphela, izixa ezingaphezu kwezi-11 000 000 zitofelwa kubaguli abazizi-3 000 000. Ngenxa yobukhulu belo nani, uya kucinga ukuba oogqirha bayalunyanzelisa utofelo-gazi. Kodwa, iThe New England Journal of Medicine ithi incinane kakhulu inkcazelo “encedisa ekwenzeni izigqibo eziphathelele utofelo-gazi.” Eneneni, kukho inkululeko yokuzikhethela, kungekhona nje ngokuphathelele oko kutofelwayo nokuba kungakanani kodwa ngokuphathelele ukuba litofelwe kusini na igazi. Ulindixesha wezamayeza iActa Anæsthesiologica Belgica uthi: “Utofelo-gazi luxhomekeke kugqirha, kungekhona kumguli.” Xa uhlolisisa oku kungasentla, akumangalisi ukuba uhlolisiso olwapapashwa kwiThe New England Journal of Medicine lufumanise ukuba “phantse ama-66 ekhulwini otofelo-gazi enziwa ngokungafanelekanga.”

[Imifanekiso ekwiphepha 5]

KwiMfazwe Yehlabathi II lalifuneka ngokwenene igazi

[Inkcazelo]

Imperial War Museum, London

U.S. National Archives photos