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To the Editor.—On reading the title "Hematologic Integrity After Intraoperative Allotransfusion" (Arch Surg 108:831, 1974), I was very interested to see whether or not cross-species transfusion was being investigated again, but on reading the article, as well as the editorial comment about it, I see that it is not allotransfusion at all but autotransfusion. I cannot imagine any defense of choice of the prefix allo- as it means "other." With reference to grafting or transfusions the prefix allo- would suggest crossspecies transfer, the prefix homowould suggest transfer within the same species, and the prefix autowould indicate transfer in the same individual. I am certainly curious as to why Dr. Aaron and his colleagues elected to introduce a new term when "autotransfusion" is clearer semantically and has also been a part of the literature to date.
Drs. Lamm and Barnhouse are, of course, correct. How the term "allotransfusion" instead of