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Blood Bank Inventor Dr. Charles Drew Changed the Course of Medicine Born on June 3, 1904, in Washington D.C., Dr. Charles R. Drew is one of the most respected professionals in both science and medicine. His work in blood research is responsible for life-saving advances in the practice of blood transfusions that have saved countless lives, from World War II up to today. He is the first African American to earn a Doctor of Medical Science degree at Columbia University in New York, and the first African American surgeon to be made a diplomat of surgery by the American Board of Surgery at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, Md. Dr. Drew began his studies at Amherst College in Massachusetts on an athletic scholarship. After graduating, he didn't have enough money to fulfill his dream of attending medical school, so he spent two years at Morgan State University, in Baltimore, Md., as a professor of biology and chemistry and director of the school's sports program. Afterward, he was accepted to McGill University of Faculty Medicine in Montreal, Canada, where he earned his Doctor of Medicine and Master of Surgery degrees. He graduated second in a class of 127 students. His establishment of a blood bank at the Presbyterian Hospital in New York City laid the foundation for the initiative that would be known as "Blood for Britain" to aid Great Britain during the German attacks in WWII. A challenge with blood transfusions during this era was that there was no way to properly store, or "bank" blood for later use. Blood had to be used right away or else it would disintegrate and its properties would change. When a transfusion was needed, blood donors had to be found on short notice in order to save the patient's life. Dr. Drew's extensive research led to the establishment of the American Red Cross Blood Bank, the country's first national blood bank. During WWII, Britain suffered a severe shortage of medical supplies while the Germans dropped bombs over England. This led to the blood donation initiative "Blood for Britain." With Dr. Drew's process for extracting and storing blood plasma from whole blood, life-saving plasma was shipped to people at war. Dr. Drew's innovation also fostered the creation of "bloodmobiles" – mobile blood banks with refrigerators in the trucks for storage. Despite his life-saving research and work in science and medicine, Dr. Drew faced racial prejudice throughout his career. The American Red Cross excluded black people from being able to give blood donations, which is ironic considering the very man who created the program was not allowed to participate in its services. The ban on blood from African Americans was later lifted, but under the condition that it would be segregated from blood from whites. In a press conference, Dr. Drew declared this decision to be "unscientific and an insult to African Americans." He eventually stepped down from his position as assistant director of the American Red Cross and returned to teaching at Howard University in Washington D.C. Dr. Drew's overall mission was to open doors for other African Americans who aspired to be doctors and scientists during a time when the medical field, like most of America, was deeply segregated. According to the National Library of Medicine, he aimed to train young African American surgeons who would meet the most rigorous standards in any surgical specialty. And he believed placing them in strategic positions throughout the country where they could, in turn, nurture the tradition of excellence would be his greatest and most lasting contribution to medicine. On April 1, 1950, Dr. Drew was in a fatal car accident that ended his life. He and three of his colleagues were en route, driving through North Carolina, to the John A. Andrew Annual Free Clinic in Tuskegee, Ala. Dr. Drew had just performed surgery the night before and, fatigued from the operation, fell asleep and lost control of the car. It ran off the road and rolled several times. His colleagues escaped with minor injuries, but the doctor himself was caught in the pedals while the car rolled and suffered severe injuries to his neck, chest and leg. Ironically, the emergency blood transfusions he received as a result of the accident could not save his life, and he succumbed to his injuries and died that night. However, because of his determination to learn, perseverance in the face of racial injustice and meticulous research, Dr. Charles R. Drew lives on through the millions that are alive today thanks to his invaluable contributions to science and medicine. A few other inventions by African Americans include: Garrett Morgan – Invented the gas mask in 1912 and the traffic signal in 1922. Lewis Latimer – Drafted the patent application for Alexander Graham Bell's telephone in 1876. Created the carbon filament light bulb in 1881. George Washington Carver – Revitalized and transformed agriculture throughout his professional career (1887-1943). Patricia Bath – Invented the Laserphaco Probe in 1981, a medical device that makes cataract surgery more accurate and nearly painless. Valerie Thomas – Is a NASA scientist who invented a new type of 3D technology in 1980, called an illusion transmitter. NASA is currently exploring how to use this technology with surgical tools, television and video. Dr. Charles Drew, with his wife Lenore, and their three daughters at the piano By Tempest Wright

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