Monday, May 13, 2019

Charles Drew

By: Verl
  • Charles Drew was a person that helped make blood banks during World War 2 he was also an African American doctor and scientist in the 1900's. His work on blood storage and blood banks helped save thousands of lives during WWII 
  • Researching Blood: As a doctor and a researcher, Charles' main passion was blood transfusions. At the time, medical science did not have a good way of preserving blood. Blood needed to be fresh, and this made it very difficult to find the right blood type when a transfusion was needed. 
  • Education and Sports: Charles Drew lived in a place called Foggy Bottom with his two younger sisters and a younger brother. His father worked in the carpet industry where he earned a nice middle class living. In school his favorite subject was sports. He was a standout athlete in school. The sports he played were baseball, basketball, football, and track and field. Amherst college is where he received a scholarship to play sports. He attended McGill University for medical school. 
  • Born and Died: He was born in Washington DC. He lived to 45 years old. Died: He died on April 1, 1950 he suffered from internal injuries in a car accident. He completely changed over the years he saved millions of lives during World War 2. 
  • World War 2: When World War 2 began, the United States needed a way to mass produce blood plasma in order to save the lives of wounded troops. (Blood plasma is a clear yellow liquid containing various proteins and electrolytes. It can be used as a blood substitute to help replace fluids and treat shock.) Drew with Scudder at E. H. L Corwin plan to set an organizational process of safely collecting, processing and storing blood plasma to be sent to Great Britain. Charles worked with the British on the "Blood for Britain" program to help them develop a blood bank for the war. He then helped to develop the blood bank for the American Red Cross. Charles died from internal injuries from a car accident he went to a hospital but was denied a transfusion because he was black. 
  • Occupation: Doctor and Scientist. 
  • Born: June 3, 1904 in Washington, D.C. 
  • Died: April 1, 1950 Burlington, North Carolina. 
  • Best known for: Research into the storage of blood and large-scale bl 

                                               By: Odd_Fox 

Sources: Betsy Graves Reyneau, Dr. Charles Drew, https://www.ducksters.com/biography/scientists/charlesdrew.php , 
Wikipedia, 

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