Charles Drew biography

Biography of Charles Drew : Doctor and scientist who helped create blood banks for World War II.

Learn about the biography of Dr. Charles Drew including his initial life, clinical school, investigating blood, blood donation center for The Second Great War, social equality dissident, and intriguing realities.

Who is charles drew ?

Biography of Charles Drew

• Occupation:  Scientist and Doctor 
• Born: in Washington, June 3, 1904 
• Died: in North Carolina April 1, 1950 
• Best known for: Research into the storage of blood and large-scale blood banks

Charles Drew biography

Charles Drew was an African-American specialist and researcher in the mid 1900s. His work on blood capacity and blood donation centers assisted with saving a great many lives during The Second Great War.

Where did Charles Drew grow up?

Charles Richard Drew was brought into the world on June 3, 1904 in Washington, D.C. He experienced childhood in a racially blended neighborhood of Washington, D.C. called Hazy Base with his two more youthful sisters and a more youthful sibling. His dad worked in the rug business where he made money.

Education and Sports

Charles’ main interest in school was sports. He was a standout athlete in many sports including football, basketball, track, and baseball. After high school, Charles attended Amherst College where he received a scholarship to play sports.

Medical School

During college Charles became interested in medicine. He attended the McGill Medical School in Canada. While attending medical school Charles became interested in the qualities of blood and how blood transfusions worked. Only a few years earlier, an Austrian doctor named Karl Landsteiner had discovered blood types. In order for a blood transfusion to work, the blood types needed to match.

Charles graduated from medical school in 1933. He finished second in his class. He later did graduate work at Columbia University where he became the first African-American to earn a Doctor of Medical Science degree.

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.

Charles studied blood and its different properties. Scientists soon learned that blood plasma, the liquid portion of blood, could be preserved more easily and then used for transfusions. They also discovered that plasma could be dried to make it easier to ship. Charles used this research to develop ways to mass produce blood plasma.

World War II

When World War II began, the United States needed a way to mass produce blood plasma in order to save the lives of wounded troops. 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 worked as the director for the American Red Cross blood bank until he was told to separate white people’s blood from black people’s blood. He strongly disagreed with this order. Charles told the US War Department that “there is absolutely no scientific basis to indicate any difference in human blood from race to race.” He promptly resigned as director.

Death and Legacy

Charles Drew died from internal injuries after a car accident on April 1, 1950. He was only 45 years old, but accomplished much and saved many lives through his research efforts into blood.

Facts about Dr. Charles Drew

• The USNS Charles Drew, a cargo ship for the US Navy, was named after him.
• His parents taught him early to always do the best he could do. They often repeated the saying “Dream high” when talking about his career goals and aspirations.
• He married Lenore Robbins in 1939.They had four children together.
• The U.S. postal service issued a stamp in his honor as part of the Great American series.

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