Charles Richard Drew

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Charles Richard Drew was an African-American male born on June 3, 1904 in Washington D.C. He was very well-educated and intelligent, and he received his Doctor of Medical Science Degree in 1940 from Columbia University. During his residency at Columbia University’s Presbyterian Hospital, he became very interested in blood transfusions. Drew soon realized that the technology of blood transfusions was vastly limited; blood could only be stored for two days. He was determined to solve this dilemma because of the many lives it would save. Led by his motivation, Drew noticed that if the plasma was separated from the blood and the two were refrigerated separately, they could be combined up to a week later for a blood transfusion. He convinced Columbia University to start a blood bank and eventually established blood banks throughout Europe and the Pacific. Ironically, Drew died in 1950 after he had been severely injured in a car incident and wasn’t able to receive medical attention because of his race. According to an article entitled “Charles Drew,” “By the time he arrived at the more distant hospital for blacks he had lost so much blood that a transfusion was of no avail.” It was disputed whether or not Drew would have survived if given a blood transfusion immediately, and the story of his death angered many.
If Drew were to have seen how his invention had helped society, he would be very proud, for it was the outcome he envisioned. Also, he would have been ecstatic with the abundance of people that selflessly donated their blood in order to save the lives of others. For instance, “The number of blood donations collected in the U.S. in a year: 15.7 million” (“Blood Facts and Statistics” Bullet Point #10). If given a chance...

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...ut in the words of an article entitled “Fascinating Facts About Charles Richard Drew,” “…it is a certainty that mankind owes a debt of gratitude to Charles Richard Drew.”

Works Cited

Balentine, Jerry R. "Blood Transfusion-Who Needs a Blood Transfusion?" MedicineNet. MedicineNet Incorporated, n.d. Web. 19 Jan. 2014. .
"Blood Facts and Statistics." American Red Cross. American National Red Cross, 2014. Web. 21 Jan. 2014. .
"Charles Drew." Charles Drew. Soylent Communications, 2014. Web. 19 Jan. 2014. .
"Fascinating Facts About Charles Richard Drew." The Great Idea Finder. The Great Idea Finder, n.d. Web. 22 Jan. 2014. .

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