Introduction: The transfusion of blood is a fascinating history though tied in many ways to battlefield medicine. Maluf, a urology resident wrote perhaps the most fascinating account in 1954 that typically ignored the herculean contributions of one Charles R. Drew, M.D. Methods: William Harvey first elucidated the circulation of blood in 1628 but there was obviously some appreciation on the criticality of blood loss after injury. Richard Lower tried to keep dogs alive with transfusion by 1665. However, blood groups and their importance had to await Karl Landsteiner’s discovery in 1900. We reviewed the history of blood transfusions during WWI, WWII, and the Korean War along with the work of Charles R. Drew, M.D. Results: “So much of our energy is spent in overcoming the constricting environment in which we live that little energy is left for creating new ideas or things. Whenever, however, one bread out of this rather high-walled prison of the ‘Negro problem’ by virtue of some worthwhile contribution, not only is he himself allowed more freedom, but part of the wall crumbles.” Drew was born in Washington, D.C. on June 3, 1904. He attended Amherst College and was a brilliant athlete as well as student. He attended and graduated from McGill University’s school of medicine in 1933 and AOA. He went to Howard University on graduation and his doctoral thesis earned his advanced degree from Columbia University on “Banked Blood.” He received a two-year Rockefeller fellowship and began working on improved methods of collection, preservation, and marketing blood donation. He also developed the Blood for Britain Campaign at the outset of WWII. Conclusions: “The life of the body is the blood.” Genesis 9:4. In 1941 it was Dr. Drew who was appointed the first American Red Cross Blood Bank director in charge of the blood supply for U.S. Army and Navy. In 1942 when the military refused to pool blood and insisted on segregation of African-American from white blood he resigned his official posts. Drew died of a tragic automobile accident on April 1, 1950 in Burlington, N.C. leaving his wife, Lenore and four children as his legacy. SOURCE OF Funding: None
