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Charles R Drew

Student’s Name

Institution

Course

Professor

Date
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Charles R Drew

Charles R drew story is credited for his contributions in the use and preservation of blood

plasma during the World War II which save a lot of lives especially in Britain. He achieved this

by overcoming the racial barriers that hindered a person from the African American descent from

succeeding in their respective fields especially the medical field. Drew first attended Amherst

College on a football scholarship before his biology professor noticed his interest in medicine

(Walton, 2021). However, due to the racial segregation at the time there were limited options for

African Americans who wanted to join medical training. Due to this, Charles chose to attend the

McGill University in Montreal as it had better treatment for minority students.

Charles later went on to graduate as the first black student with a medical doctorate from

Columbia University where his thesis on blood transfusions led to a groundbreaking discovery

on how to separate plasma from the blood. This breakthrough made it possible for blood ti be

stored for one week. Charles later went on to become one of the most important scientists of the

20th century through his innovations on the nation’s blood banking process and standardized

techniques and storage techniques to ensure long term blood preservation which were later

adapted by Red Cross. Therefore, it is because of Charles Richard Drew that blood transfusions

are possible today.

In 1940, Drew led the transportation of blood and plasma to Britain which at the time was

under attack by Germany. Through the program countless lives were saved which led to the Red

Cross implementing a program to produce dried plasma in huge amounts. Ironically, Black

people including Drew were not eligible to donate blood. Even after this policy was changed the

Red Cross still segregated blood donations by race which Drew criticized as insulting and

unscientific (Walton, 2021). Drew also came up with bloodmobile which were basically
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refrigerated trucks tasked with the collection, storage and transportation of blood to where it was

needed. After the war ended, Drew returned to America to teach medicine at Howard University,

where he helped break down the racial barriers that were hindering the success of the Black

physicians (Walton, 2021). He also campaigned against the exclusion of black physicians from

the American Medical Association, medical specialty organizations and other local medical

societies. Charles also contributed to the black community by ensuring that the African

American surgeons he trained met the most rigorous standards in the surgical fields. He also

helped them get jobs in strategic positions in the American fields with the aim of nurturing a

tradition of excellence for the Black community in the medical field.

Charles R Drew was truly an incredible person who anyone in a similar position should

seek to emulate. Despite his achievements in the medical field, he did not forget where he came

from and the challenges he faced before he became one of the best scientists of the 20th century.

He chose to help those who faced similar challenges making their lives easier by fighting the

racial barriers that hindered their success.

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References

Walton, S. (2021, February 9). Black History Month: Charles Richard drew. ABC57.

https://www.abc57.com/news/black-history-month-charles-richard-drew