This volume is the proceedings of the 25th Jubilee International Symposium on Blood Transfusion and reviews what has been achieved and what can be expected. There have been many achievements during the last quarter of the 20th century - for example the Landsteiner discovery of red cell markers and the Huestin development of an appropriate anticoagulant. The proceedings of this symposium offer information on the future of this evolving field of medicine. The material is presented in four sections: blood supply systems and organization; technical and pharmaceutical developments; quality principles and risk management; and transfusion medicine for the patient. The text provides a comprehensive review of this area, along with possible future directions.