5 Random Things About Charles Richard Drew

Charles Drew was an African-American physician who pioneered the field of blood transfusions and in many eyes “invented” the blood bank. I put invented in quotation marks, because a blood bank is an idea, and there were already methods of blood storage, but Drew’s research greatly improved the length of time that blood could be stored. Drew also pioneered the concept of separating blood from plasma, and recognized that while there are separate blood types there is only one type of plasma. He was also vehemently opposed to the policy of racial segregation which stated that the blood from white donors should be separate from the blood from black donors. In honor of Black History Month, here are 5 more random facts about Charles Drew.

1. Charles Drew was the first African-American to serve as an examiner on the American Board of Surgery.
2. Charles Drew was the first African-American to receive a Doctor of Medical Science degree from Columbia University.
3. Charles Drew was also an outstanding athlete. In high school he played football, baseball, basketball, track and field, and swimming, and won his high school’s award for best all-around athlete. In college, he captained the Amherst College track team and also played halfback on the football team, winning All-American honors in the latter.
4. Before entering medicine, Charles Drew served as Athletic Director and head football coach for two years at Morgan State University in Baltimore, Maryland. The football team had a 8-2-2 record during that span.
5. Charles Drew died from injuries sustained in a car accident on April 1, 1950. A popular urban legend states that he was denied a blood transfusion at an all-white hospital because of his race. However, this has been found to be untrue, as Drew suffered from massive internal injuries and a blood transfusion would not have helped him because his injuries were too severe.

If it wasn’t for the research and efforts of the real Dr. Drew, college students everywhere would have to find another way to sell their body for ramen.

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