2-3-4 Challenge Book Discussions #2 discussion

René has a room devoted to transfusing blood from young men and women into himself by his own staff hematologist, Dr. Franklin, supposedly to maintain his youth. Does this procedure work or have any effect? Why did Evan choose to kill the doctor when he escaped?

I read somewhere about research on using healthy blood transfusions to treat some diseases. The article didn't mention anything about blood providing a potential fountain of youth.

The possibility is a little scary. Wealthy people will buy blood and it won't be available for the regular Joe or Jane for operations or blood loss due to accidents.

In the story, the blood transfusions worked to Rene's good and for ill to all those from whom he stole their blood. Toward the end, his
appearance was described as being what I would equate to someone nearing the end of their first hundred years....

This is scary, for reasons Sharon notes above. Similar to what's going on in China with organs stolen from ethnic minority. The real organ donor notice we have on drivers' licenses is the good and right way it can happen, by contrast.

Charlene wrote: "In the story, the blood transfusions worked to Rene's good and for ill to all those from whom he stole ."

This confused me a little. I don't know if I missed something, but I didn't understand how donating blood damaged the donors. Was he infecting them with something?

I recall reading that one of those young girls being loaded back into the car, after exchanging her young blood for Rene's old blood, was looking gray and drawn and it didn't look like her future was very long ... Did anyone else also see this issue?

@Sharon - yes he has to give back some of his blood to them 'to replace' what he takes. If they are a certain type it has the reverse effect on them - no fountain of youth /they get 'extra years' in a blink. This is how I remember it.

The doctor made it possible for René to keep stealing blood. I figured Evan wanted all of it gone - all the files, all the blood and the doctors knowledge.

Melissa,

Are you saying he takes more than a pint of blood from each donor? If I remember correctly a person can lose up to 14 or 15 percent of their blood. It will regenerate shortly. I can't see a doctor taking more than a pint or a pint and 1/2 unless the goal is to kill the donors. I didn't think murder was the goal. I need to go back and re-read this.

Sharon wrote: "Melissa,

Are you saying he takes more than a pint of blood from each donor? If I remember correctly a person can lose up to 14 or 15 percent of their blood. It will regenerate shortly. I can't se..."


Sharon, sorry it took so long to get back to you. Work has been kicking my ass and I have less time to post on here.

I'd have to go back to the passage in the book but IIRC - the night when David brought the four kids from the bar to party. Once they were knocked out and René was down in the lab hooked up to equipment to get blood from them. There was mention on how the doctor gave them back some of René's blood I'm assuming so they wouldn't be so low and end up going to an ER. That would open up a huge can of worms for him. One of the girls in the group was René's blood type and she looked more gray, ashen after receiving his blood. His old blood having an ill effect on her. IRL not sure if this would actually happen when receiving blood from someone old.
Then when Evan went down there I thought there were still many bags of blood stored in his equipment. Which would mean the doctor took multiple bags from the donors. René was holding something over the doctor. Nobody with René was there of their own free will.
René and David get them plastered on drugs and booze so they only think they are dealing with a bad hangover the next day.

Long winded but hopefully that made sense