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Charles R. Drew

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Charles Richard Drew
Charles Richard Drew
Born(1904-06-03)June 3, 1904
Washington, D.C., USA
DiedApril 1, 1950(1950-04-01) (aged 45)
Burlington, North Carolina, USA
NationalityUnited States
Alma materAmherst College, McGill University, Columbia University
Known forBlood banking; blood transfusions
AwardsSpingarn Medal
Scientific career
FieldsGeneral Surgery
InstitutionsFreedman's Hospital
Morgan State University
Montreal General Hospital
Howard University
Doctoral advisorJohn Beattie

Charles Richard Drew (3 June 1904 – 1 April 1950) was an African-American physician, surgeon and medical researcher. He researched in the field of blood transfusions, developing improved techniques for blood storage, and applied his expert knowledge to developing large-scale blood banks early in World War II. This allowed medics to save thousands of lives of the Allied forces.[1] However, the research and development aspect of his accomplishments is disputed. Charles E. Wynes, author of a biography about Drew, states "The fact is, Drew did not develop blood plasma in any of its forms, nor did he perfect blood transfusion with blood plasma, as is sometimes claimed in the greater media." Wynes goes on to say that Drew's role was purely an organizational one, "which in no way detracts from Drew's actual accomplishments."[2]Drew protested against the practice of racial segregation in the donation of blood, as it lacked scientific foundation, an action which cost him his job. In 1943, Drew's distinction in his profession was recognized when he became the first black surgeon selected to serve as an examiner on the American Board of Surgery.

Early years

Drew was born to Richard Y. Drew and Nora Burrell in Washington, DC. He attended Meads Mill Elementary School, and began working as a paperboy selling copies of the Washington Times-Herald while attending school. In 1918, he enrolled at Dunbar High School, a racially segregated high school with a reputation for being one of the strongest academic Black public schools in the country. Drew’s sister Elsie, who was ailing with tuberculosis, died of pandemic influenza in 1920. Her death was said to influence his decision to study medicine.

His athletic achievements helped win him a partial scholarship to Amherst College in Massachusetts. Drew became a member of Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Inc. He did graduate work at McGill University, Montreal, and Columbia University, New York, where he earned his PhD.

Academic career

Drew became a researcher and general surgeon, teaching and practicing within medical schools and teaching hospitals. He worked and taught at Freedman's Hospital, Morgan State University, Montreal General, and Howard University.

Soon after he began his career, in 1943 he was invited as the first black to be an examiner for the American Board of Surgeons.

Blood Plasma for Great Britain Project

In late 1940, during World War II before the US entered the war, and just after earning his doctorate, Drew was recruited by John Scudder to help set up and administer an early prototype program for blood storage. He was to collect, test, and transport large quantities of blood plasma for distribution in Great Britain.[2] Drew went to New York to direct the United States' Blood for Britain project. The Blood for Britain project was a project to aid British soldiers and civilians by giving US blood to Great Britain.

Drew created a central location for the blood collection process where donors could go to give blood. He made sure all blood plasma was tested before it was shipped out. He ensured that only skilled personnel handled blood plasma to avoid the possibility of contamination. The Blood for Britain program operated successfully for five months, with total collections of almost 15,000 people donating blood, and with over 5,500 vials of blood plasma.[2] As a result, the Blood Transfusion Betterment Association applauded Drew for his work.

Charles E. Wynes, a biographer of Drew, has disputed the credit he is sometimes given for technical development of blood storage techniques.

"The fact is, Drew did not develop blood plasma in any of its forms, nor did he perfect blood transfusion with blood plasma, as is sometimes claimed in the greater media." While Wynes noted that Drew's role was purely an organizational one, that "in no way detracts from Drew's actual accomplishments."[3]

Drew had a lengthy research and teaching career. He became a chief surgeon. He was the first black surgeon selected to serve as an examiner on the American Board of Surgery.

Death

From 1939, Drew attended the annual free clinic at the John A. Andrew Memorial Hospital in Tuskegee, Alabama. For the 1950 Tuskegee clinic, Drew and three other black physicians decided to drive rather than fly. Drew was driving around 8 a.m. on April 1. Still fatigued from spending the night before in the operating theater, Drew lost control of the vehicle. After careening into a field, the car somersaulted three times. The three other physicians suffered minor injuries. Drew was trapped with serious wounds; his foot had become wedged beneath the brake pedal. When reached by emergency technicians, Drew was in shock and barely alive due to severe leg injuries. Drew was taken to Alamance General Hospital in Burlington, North Carolina. He was pronounced dead a half hour after he first received medical attention. Contrary to urban legend, Drew was well treated by the hospital. Claims that he was not treated because of his skin color are unfounded.[4] Drew's funeral was held on April 5, 1950, at the Nineteenth Street Baptist Church in Washington, DC.

A persistent urban legend holds that Drew was denied care—ironically, a blood transfusion—at a nearby hospital because of his race and bled to death. Dr. John Ford, one of the doctors traveling with Drew contradicted this in an interview: "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 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."[5]

Legacy and honors

Numerous schools and health-related facilities, as well as other institutions, have been named in honor of Drew.

Medical and higher education

K-12 schools

References

  1. ^ "Patent For Preserving Blood Issued November 10, 1942; Washingtonian's invention made blood bank possible" (Press release). Brigid Quinn, United States Patent and Trademark Office. 9 November 2001. Retrieved 2009-02-03.
  2. ^ a b Starr, Douglas P. (2000). Blood: An Epic History of Medicine and Commerce. New York: Quill. ISBN 0688176496.
  3. ^ Charles E. Wynes, Charles Richard Drew: The Man and the Myth (Urbana, IL: University of Illinois Press, 1988), p. 58.
  4. ^ Spencie Love, One Blood: The Death and Resurrection of Charles R. Drew, The University of North Carolina Press (October 29, 1997), p4 ISBN 0-8078-4682-1 Retrieved 2009-06-19
  5. ^ Cecil Adams (10 November 1989). "Did the black doctor who invented blood plasma die because white doctors wouldn't treat him?". The Straight Dope. Retrieved 2009-02-03.
  6. ^ Asante, Molefi Kete (2002). 100 Greatest African Americans: A Biographical Encyclopedia. Amherst, New York. Prometheus Books. ISBN 157392968.
  7. ^ http://www.hmdb.org/marker.asp?marker=6262
  8. ^ Charles Drew Health Center
  9. ^ About Dr. Charles R. Drew, Charles Drew Charles Drew Science Enrichment Laboratory, Michigan State University
  10. ^ http://www.drewwellnesscenter.com/index.asp
  11. ^ Charles R. Drew Hall, Howard University
  12. ^ Charles R. Drew Elementary School, Miami-Dade County Public Schools
  13. ^ Dr. Charles R. Drew Elementary School, Broward County Public Schools
  14. ^ Dr. Charles R. Drew Elementary School, Montgomery County Public Schools
  15. ^ http://blogs.ajc.com/clayton-talk/2009/03/30/charles-r-drew-high-school-will-set-the-bar-high/?cxntfid=blogs_clayton_talk

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., editor, ( 1987 ) A Century of Black Surgeons: The USA Experience, Transcript Press, ISBN 0-9617380-0-6 Vol. I, Asa Yancey, Sr., Chapter 2: The Life Of Charles R. Drew, MD
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