THE BLOODY CAREER OF CHARLES R. DREW

Dr. Charles R. Drew was instrumental in perfecting techniques in storing and preserving blood and plasma so that it could be used later for transfusions. In 1939, he established the Blood Transfer Betterment Association, which was a program where plasma could be collected in the USA and shipped to Britain for use by soldiers and civilians. This system eventually was adapted by the American Red Cross when Drew became its director. Drew's techniques saved countless numbers of lives during World War II. These results were in sharp contrast to those obtained in World War I, where millions of men bled to death because transfusing stored blood was not then an option.

Ironically, Drew himself died of exsanguination as a result of a car accident in North Carolina in 1950. According to a common myth, Drew, who was black, was refused a life-saving transfusion in a whites-only hospital. However, all actual witnesses to the event, including Drew's fellow passengers, agree that the medical staff aggressively tried to save Drew's life but could not administer a transfusion because of the nature of his injuries.

For more information about Dr. Drew, please click here.