Invites the reader to reflect on the many ways in which every aspect of culture -- fine art, applied art, technology, & scientific research -- is shaped by our changing ideas about the nature & function of blood. Blood signifies the opposition between life & death, health & sickness, power & powerlessness. Looks at the ways in which changing metaphors of blood have had a dramatic impact on material culture in the broadest sense, & the way in which our ideas about blood have shaped, & continue to shape, the world in which we live. Includes works of art from prestigious collections -- paintings, drawings, prints, sculptures, & video installations -- which bear witness to the cultural changes the imagery of blood has undergone over the past 2,500 years. Illus.