In the Blood

How Two Outsiders Solved a Centuries-Old Medical Mystery and Took On the US Army

By: Charles Barber

Narrated by: Ron Butler

The "high-stakes" true story of how an absent-minded inventor and a down-on-his-luck salesman joined forces to create a once‑in‑a‑generation lifesaving product: "Suspenseful storytelling helps us see and feel the struggle and frustration, the sweat and tears . . . Inspiring” (Robert Kolker, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Hidden Valley Road).

At the 1993 Battle of Mogadishu, dramatized by the popular film Black Hawk Down, the majority of soldiers who died were killed instantly or bled to death before they could reach an operating table. This tragedy reinforced the need for a revolutionary treatment that could transform trauma medicine. So, when Frank Hursey and Bart Gullong—who had no medical or military experience—discovered that a cheap, crushed rock called zeolite had blood‑clotting properties, they brought it to the military's attention. The Marines and the Navy adopted the resulting product, QuikClot, immediately. The Army, however, resisted. It had two products of its own being developed to prevent excessive bleeds, one of which had already cost tens of millions of dollars. The other, "Factor Seven," had a more dangerous complication: its side effects could be deadly. Unwilling to let its efforts end in failure—and led by the highly influential surgeon Colonel John Holcomb—the Army set out to smear QuikClot’s reputation.

Over the course of six years, Hursey and Gullong engaged in an epic struggle with Holcomb for recognition. Ultimately, a whistle‑blower inside the Army challenged the Army’s embrace of Factor Seven, which resulted in a massive lawsuit led by the U.S. Department of Justice. The lawsuit focused further attention on the financial ties between the pharmaceutical company that produced Factor Seven and Holcomb’s research institute.

By withholding QuikClot—which later became the medical miracle of the Iraq War—and in the use of Factor Seven with its known, life-threatening risks of heart attacks and strokes, the lives of countless soldiers were imperiled. Using deep reportage and riveting prose, In the Blood recounts this little‑known David‑and‑Goliath story of corruption, greed, and power within the military—and the devastating consequences of unchecked institutional arrogance.

PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying PDF will be available in your Audible Library along with the audio.

©2023 Charles Barber (P)2023 Grand Central Publishing

Critic reviews

“In the Blood is an amazing, all-too-true underdog story with intensely high stakes—thousands of lives in the balance. Medical miracles don’t happen overnight, and Charles Barber’s suspenseful storytelling helps us see and feel the struggle and frustration, the sweat and tears. The result is inspiring.”—Robert Kolker, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Hidden Valley Road

"In the Blood is that wonderful kind of true story that is at times utterly unbelievable. Yet Charles Barber’s deep research and graceful prose turns it into something even greater: a portrait of an unlikely yet perfect friendship, a testament to the marriage of ingenuity and salesmanship, a fierce interrogation of groupthink, and a tribute to the courage of American soldiers and corpsmen. The story is inspiring, yet so many moments left me shaken."

—Jeff Hobbs, New York Times bestselling author of The Short and Tragic Life of Robert Peace

Engaging story about the development of this life saving technology

Got drawn into this story about bringing a new lifesaving technology to market. I found myself rooting for this company to get this product into as many hands as possible, and save as many lives as possible. Amazing how many hurdles and roadblocks were put up to slow or stop the progress of something so amazing. I’ve now purchased and keep these in my own first aid kit.

Fascinating well researched. Page turner

This is an excellent book on many levels. It portrays some US Army medical decisions as delusional and costing lives. But in the end the good guys win by having the best product and saving lives.

Engaging book

It was a story I had never really knew or paid attention to even though I am a physician. I recall seeing the articles on Factor 7 in major journals but having the back story on the human drama going on between the army and this company was interesting to learn. This was an engaging book that will be hard to stop listening to

As a combat veteran

Fantastic story about events that changed history and saved lives. This was especially moving being a Navy combat veteran

Excellent medical history

This is a story of ingenuity and perseverance against a powerful adversary by two unlikely individuals. Their contributions to blood coagulation in extreme emergencies has saved lives and set a template for how professionals deal with extreme bleeding emergencies.
This is a story that is inspired.

The other side

As a combat medic, I am so glad this side of the story has been told in such a well crafted way. Bravo Zulu to the author and audio team. Well done and thank you.

Great story of perseverance and teamwork!

Really enjoyed how this story was pulled together by the author. The narrator did an excellent job. It’s easy to be cynical about the obstacles that were put in the way of this amazing product, getting to market to save lives, but this really comes across as a great story of perseverance and teamwork. I really enjoyed listening to it.

Real story of entrepreneurs fighting the system to save lives

Barber brings this story to life by exposing the corruption that has become our DOD procurement system, and candidly presents the struggles that these pioneers of medicine had to endure to make their product a success.

Outstanding! A must read for medics

I’m a paramedic and teach bleeding control to responders and the general public so I was quite interested in this topic. I expected to learn a little but didn’t expect to be so thoroughly captivated! Very informative and very entertaining. A must for anyone in the medical field

paid for by teleflex?

The story, even though a good outline of past events, became a bit wordy as a page filler versus page turner.
I am curious to know who consented and who abstained to the story as it was written.
The processes are much more detailed, and a lot more individuals are involved.
However, I can submit that the system's approach and approval are not much better, no matter the law or policy.