Talk:Charles R. Drew

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Contents 1 M*A*S*H 2 Drew did not discover blood plasma 3 Drew's discoveries did NOT lead to the development of blood plasma. Stop it. 4 Citations added June 8, 2006 5 Charles Drew Color

[edit] M*A*S*H

The story of Charles Drew was presented in an episode of M*A*S*H (11/10/73, episode K-409). Hawkeye Pierce (Alan Alda) was treating a soldier (Mills Watson) who refused to accept any "wrong colored" blood. Because of his blatant racism, Hawkeye decided to teach him a lesson. While the soldier was sleeping, Hawkeye and "Trapper" John McIntyre (Wayne Rogers) painted the soldier's face with shoe polish. When the soldier awoke and saw his reflection in a mirror, he panicked, knowing he had been given "the wrong color" blood. Hawkeye related the story of Dr. Charles Drew, and how after an automobile accident in North Carolina, he was not admitted to an all-white hospital. Prevented from receiving potentially life saving plasma, which he discovered, he died of his injuries. The story moved the soldier, so that at the end of the episode, he apologized for his statements and saluted a young African American nurse (Odessa Cleveland).

[edit] Drew did not discover blood plasma

Drew did not discover blood plasma, nor was he refused blood leading to his death.

It is sicking that this racist agitprop is repeated here when simple research would dispel such legends. It belittles Drew's actual accomplishments to subject him to this mythologization.

Dr. Drew's main accomplishment was that he adapted an already-existing laboratory production method for the industrial production of plasma.

• You may want to read the article, it doesn't say that he discoved plasma, it does specifically say that reports that he was refused admission to an all-white hospital were false--nixie 01:56, 13 Apr 2005 (UTC)

Nixie, I was referring to the comment preceeding mine wherein those very falsehoods are repeated. The article is fair, although the claim that Drew was somehow responsible for the institution of blood blanks is totally false. Thanks.

[edit] Drew's discoveries did NOT lead to the development of blood plasma. Stop it.

Charles Wynes' biography, Charles Richard Drew: The Man and the Myth, says:

The fact is, Drew did not develop blood plasma in any of its forms, nor did he perfect blood transfusion with blood plasma, as is sometimes claimed in newspapers and popular magazines, in children's books, on television, and even in some history books. It is especially worth noting that no recognized and respected medical or scientific authority or publication has ever made such claims for Drew. Certainly, Drew did not make any such claims for himself, nor have any of his former colleagues or any of his students. To say all this, however, in no way detracts from Drew's actual accomplishments.

This brief excerpt should be permissible under "fair use" doctrines. Zuzim 19:46, 19 January 2006 (UTC)

---

Charles Drew (1904-1950) was born on June 3, 1904 in Washington, D.C. Charles Drew excelled in academics and sports during his graduate studies at Amherst College in Massachusetts. Charles Drew was also a honor student at McGill University Medical School in Montreal, where he specialized in physiological anatomy. Charles Drew researched blood plasma and transfusions in New York City. It was during his work at Columbia University where he made his discoveries relating to the preservation of blood. By separating the liquid red blood cells from the near solid plasma and freezing the two separately, he found that blood could be preserved and reconstituted at a later date.

Charles Drew's system for the storing of blood plasma (blood bank) revolutionized the medical profession. Dr. Drew also established the American Red Cross blood bank, of which he was the first director, and he organized the world's first blood bank drive, nicknamed "Blood for Britain". His official title for the blood drive was Medical Director of the first Plasma Division for Blood Transfusion, supplying blood plasma to the British during World War II. The British military used his process extensively during World War II, establishing mobile blood banks to aid in the treatment of wounded soldiers at the front lines. In 1941, the American Red Cross decided to set up blood donor stations to collect plasma for the U.S. armed forces.

After the war, Charles Drew took up the Chair of Surgery at Howard University, Washington, D.C. He received the Spingarn Medal in 1944 for his contributions to medical science. Charles Drew died at the early age of 46 from injuries suffered in a car accident in North Carolina.

No, enough has NOT been said. About.com's mythologizing about black inventors is no refutation of scholarly literature. Among other laughers, About repeats uncritically Philip Emeagwali's self-aggrandizing -- and false -- claims. About's inventors editor does not respond to requests that she provide the source of her "research" on black inventors.

The fact remains that Dr. Drew was in no way the discoverer or inventor of plasma production.BulldogPete

I can already smell crap with that About.com cite, anyway.

His official title for the blood drive was Medical Director of the first Plasma Division for Blood Transfusion

. TOTALLY untrue. His official tital was Project Director, Division of Plaasma Tranfusion, Plasma for Britain directive. The medical director was his old teacher, John Scudder. --In ur base, killing ur dorfs 21:17, 1 November 2006 (UTC)

[edit] Citations added June 8, 2006

Maybe someone else could/should have done this a bit earlier, but I've put in a good handful of citations for verifiability. The opening para is now clearer about Drew's medical claims to fame. Further down the article, I've also included links to Robertson and Fantus to back up handling of the "myths" issue in a positive way. And I've un-redlined John Beattie because, from Googling a bit, I can't see he meets the Wiki standard of notability.--Mereda 12:21, 8 June 2006 (UTC)

[edit] Charles Drew Color

No disrespect!, but how is Charles Drew Black when he looks white?

In the US, both social standards and in many ways the law have nothing to do with appearance. The rule has historically been that "one drop" of Black heritage made a person black. While this may seem absurd (or racist) outside the US (and to many people in the US), it's the actual state of things here. See this website or Google for "just one drop" and negro here. Dr. Drew's heritage as "black" is firmly established. Studerby 04:02, 17 September 2006 (UTC)

Yes, we in the US were very stupid back then. I added in a copy of his picture taken by the US Government when he was involved with Plasma for Britain. --In ur base, killing ur dorfs 21:13, 1 November 2006 (UTC)