Charles R. Drew

Charles Richard Drew
Charles Richard Drew
Born	(1904-06-03)June 3, 1904 Washington, D.C., USA
Died	April 1, 1950(1950-04-01) (aged 45) Burlington, North Carolina, USA
Nationality	United States
Alma mater	McGill University, Columbia University
Known for	Blood banks Created blood tranfusions
Awards	Spingarn Medal
Scientific career
Fields	General Surgery
Institutions	Freedman's Hospital Morgan State University Montreal General Hospital Howard University
Doctoral advisor	John Beattie

Charles Richard Drew (3 June 1904 – 1 April 1950) was an American physician and medical researcher. He researched in the field of blood transfusions, developing improved techniques for blood storage, and applied his expert knowledge in developing large-scale blood banks early in World War II, saving thousands of allied lives. He protested against the practice of racial segregation in the donation of blood from donors of different races since it lacked scientific foundation. In 1943, Drew's distinction in his profession was recognized when he became the first black surgeon to serve as an examiner on the American Board of Surgery.

Biography

Early years

Drew was born to Richard W. Drew and Nora Burrell in Washington D.C. He attended Meads Mill Elementary School, and began working as a paperboy selling copies of the Washington Times-Herald while attending school. He also found work at construction sites. In 1918, he enrolled at Dunbar High School, a racially segregated high school that had a reputation for being one of the strongest Black public schools in the country. He also was an athlete, which won him a partial scholarship to Amherst College, Massachusetts. Drew’s sister, Elsie who was ailing with tuberculosis, died of pandemic influenza in 1920, and is said to have influenced him to study medicine.

Blood For Britain Project

In late 1940, just after earning his doctoral thesis, Dr. Drew was called upon by John Scudder to help set up and administer an early prototype program for collecting, testing, and distributing blood plasma in Britain.. Drew went to New York to direct America’s Blood for Britain project. The Blood for Britain project was a project to aid British soldiers and civilians by giving blood to Britain. He provided a central location for the blood collection process, and uncrowded hospital’s donors could go there to give blood. He also made sure all blood plasma was tested before it was shipped out. He also oversaw that only skilled personnel would be able to handle blood plasma to avoid the possibility of contamination. The Blood for Britain program operated successfully for 5 months, with total collections of almost 15,000 people donating blood, and with over 5,600 gallons of blood plasma. As a result, the Blood Transfusion Betterment Association applauded Drew for his fine work.

Death

Drew, being the chief surgeon, represented Freedmen at a number of medical conferences. Drew had been attending the annual free clinic at the John A. Andrew Memorial Hospital in Tuskegee, Alabama since 1939. There was a change of plans preceding the 1950 Tuskegee clinic. Drew decided to drive with three other physicians and save money rather than fly. The four men decided to take turns driving in shifts. Drew slept until it was his turn for the 2nd shift. He was tired, because he had spent the night before in the operating theater. Drew started driving at around 8 a.m. on April 1st. A few miles north of the Haw River, the car began to go off the road. One of the physicians noticed this and yelled “Hey Charlie!” Drew had fallen asleep at the wheel, and reacted immediately and tried to veer back onto the road. Instead, the car went into a field and somersaulted three times.

The three physicians other than Drew had suffered minor injuries. Drew had gotten his foot stuck under the brake pedal, which resulted in the car turning over on top of him, instead of jerking him out of the car. Drew was in shock, had a severe leg injury, and was barely alive when the other physicians reached him.

A persistent urban legend holds that Drew was denied care by a nearby hospital because of his race, and bled to death. This is denied by one of the other black doctors with whom he was travelling, who stated: "We all received the very best of care. The doctors started treating us immediately. [...] He had a superior vena caval syndrome--blood was blocked getting back to his heart from his brain and upper extremities. To give him a transfusion would have killed him sooner. Even the most heroic efforts couldn't have saved him. I can truthfully say that no efforts were spared in the treatment of Dr. Drew, and, contrary to popular myth, the fact that he was a Negro did not in any way limit the care that was given to him." [1] The false story of his death was repeated in an episode of the popular television series M*A*S*H. [The 9th episode of Season 2, called "Dear Dad ... Three"; original broadcast date Nov. 10, 1973] and in the novel, The Human Stain, by Philip Roth.

Drew was taken to Alamance General Hospital in Burlington. He was pronounced dead a half hour after his first reception of medical attention. His funeral procession was held on April 5, 1950, at the Nineteenth Street Baptist Church.

Legacy

• In 1966, the Charles R. Drew Postgraduate Medical School was incorporated in California and was named in his honor. This later became the Charles R. Drew University of Medicine and Science.
• In January 1970, Charles R. Drew Junior High School opened its doors to students in Detroit, Michigan.
• In 1981, the United States Postal Service issued a postage stamp in its Great Americans series commemorating Drew.
• In 2002, scholar Molefi Kete Asante listed Charles R. Drew on his list of 100 Greatest African Americans.
• Charles Drew Health Center, Omaha, Nebraska
• Charles Drew Science Enrichment Laboratory, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan
• Charles Drew Science Magnet Buffalo, NY
• Charles R. Drew Elementary School, Pompano Beach, Florida
• Charles R. Drew Elementary School, Silver Spring, Maryland
• Charles R. Drew Elementary School, Miami, Florida
• Charles R. Drew Elementary School, also called Drew Model School for its innovative curriculum, in Arlington, Virginia
• Charles R. Drew Charter School opened in August 2000 as the first charter school in Atlanta, Georgia.
• Charles R. Drew Hall, an all-male freshman dorm at Howard University, Washington D.C.
• Charles Drew Community Health Center, located in Burlington, NC near the site of the old Alamance County hospital.
• Charles Drew Health Foundation, East Palo Alto, California, opened in the 1960s, closed 2000, was EPA's only clinic for decades.
• Parc Charles-Drew, in Le Sud-Ouest, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
• Charles Drew House, residence at Amherst College, his alma mater
• Charles R. Drew Memorial Bridge, Washington DC [2]
• Charles R. Drew Elementary School, Washington, DC
• Bluford Drew Jemison S.T.E.M Academy,Baltimore,MD(www.BDJacademy.com)

Further reading

• Schraff, Anne E. (2003) Dr. Charles Drew: Blood Bank Innovator Enslow, ISBN 0-7660-2117-3
• Love, Spencie (1996) One Blood: The Death and Resurrection of Charles R. Drew Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina Press (1997 reprint) ISBN 0-8078-4682-1
• Wynes, Charles E. (1988) Charles Richard Drew: The Man and the Myth University of Illinois Press, ISBN 0-252-01551-7
• Organ, Claude H. ( 1987 ) "A Century of Black Surgeons The USA Experience" Transcript Press, ISBN 0-9617380-0-6 Volume I Chapter 2 The Life Of Charles R. Drew, MD by Asa Yancey, Sr. , MD; p 63

External links

• SBAS Charles Drew - Black American Medical Pioneer
• Biography of Charles R. Drew hosted by the University of Medicine and Science, accessed June 8, 2006
• The Straight Dope on Drew's death
• Charles Drew
• Charles Drew - The Black Inventor Online Museum at www.blackinventor.com on Plasma for Britain involvement
• Black Colleges During Wartime - 1944 film with Dr. Charles Drew at work teaching and performing his plasma research

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