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The Human Body

Blood

Blood
Reading Level
     edHelper's suggested reading level:   grades 6 to 7
     Flesch-Kincaid grade level:   5.44

Vocabulary
     challenging words:    transfusion, occupation, tested, colorless, blood, plasma, volunteer, health, medical, scab, carbon, dangerous, career, such, pharmacist, dioxide
     content words:    Middle Ages

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Blood
By Sharon Fabian 		  
1     Blood! It's the yucky stuff that oozes out of a little cut. It's the scary stuff that spurts out of a big cut. We've all learned not to touch blood, because it can be dangerous. Some people even pass out when they see blood. Is blood really something awful?
 
2     In the Middle Ages, people seemed to think so. Back then, a common cure for diseases was to let some of the person's blood drain out. You might be surprised to learn that doctors didn't perform those operations; barbers did! Of course, this was dangerous and didn't do much to help people get well, either. Sometimes it killed people.
 
3     Today we know that, while blood is something that we need to be careful about, it is not awful at all. Blood is part of our circulatory system. It carries oxygen and nutrients to all parts of our bodies. Blood keeps us alive and healthy. Today, instead of draining someone's blood, we sometimes give them more blood to save his or her life.

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