Life of Charles Richard Drew and Methodologies He Utilized to Advance in His Field - Research Paper Example

? Dr. Charles Richard Drew Health sciences and medicine Dr. Charles Richard Drew Many individuals have influenced change in the medicalfield. One such individual is Dr. Charles Richard Drew, an African American researcher, physician and surgeon who lived from the year 1904- 1950(Wilson et al., 2011).He carried out numerous researches and obtained vital information that has helped shape modern medicine. Dr. Drew was subject to racial segregation however, managed to overcome these barriers and become a well known figure in his field (‘Patent for Preserving Blood Issued November 10, 1942’, 2001). This paper will analyze the life of Dr. Drew and the steps and methodologies he utilized to advance in his field. It will also analyze the impact he or she had on society and how these advancements have impacted the world today. Charles Richard Drew was born in Washington D.C, in a middle class family. In 1922 he graduated from Dunbar High School were he was a recognized athlete. He was awarded a scholarship for his athleticism to Amherst College. He was one of thirteen in black students which schooled in a college comprised of 600 (The Charles R. Drew Papers, n.d).This exposed him to racial discrimination which he would face through out the first part of his career. Here he was also recognized for his performance in on the athletics field, and was invited to join the Omega Psi Phi fraternity (The Charles R. Drew Papers, n.d). As a youth, he was only focused on his athletics and football. His direction academically was uncertain, this however, changed when his Biology professor channeled his interest towards medicine. Prior to his college education he attended Mc Gill University in Montreal where he studied medicine (The Charles R. Drew Papers, n.d). In Mc Gill Medical University he was awarded a scholarship for his work in neuroanatomy (The Charles R. Drew Papers, n.d). In the same University he became a member of the fraternity Alpha Omega Alpha and became a decorated staff member of the hospital journal. He was also awarded the J. Francis Williams Prize after he finished first in an examination which was written by him and the top 5 students (The Charles R. Drew Papers, n.d). He later specialized in surgery in the same university and upon graduation he was ranked 2nd among all the graduate students. He was also the first African American to obtain a degree in Medical Science at Columbia University. He was highly recognized for his academic brilliance and was elected as a member of the American Board of Surgery (The Charles R. Drew Papers, n.d). Though he has numerous achievements in the medical field he is mostly recognized for his revolutionary advancements in the field of blood preservation. His research in the preservation of blood plasma was a life saving step in the medical field. He developed a method which enabled the long term storage of blood plasma. In addition, he organized the first large scale blood bank in America (Wilson et al., 2011). This section will analyze the ways in which Dr. Drew derived upon these discoveries and how he was able to successfully implement them practically in the medical field. In his time there were many racial barriers that were present in America, however, he was able to overcome them and become one of the greatest scientists of the 21st century. He first developed an interest in blood transfusion whilst he was in his internship year at Montreal Hospital in 1933. In this time period he worked with Professor John Beattie who was a bacteriologist. Together they investigated and tried to develop ways to treat shock using fluid replacement. He was also keen in furthering his studies in the fluid transfusion methods; however, racial prejudice denied him the ability to do so as black scholars at Mayo Clinic were denied the right to carry out their practices. This racial prejudice led him to join the Howard Medical University where he was initially employed as a pathology instructor. He would later become a surgery instructor in the medical field and the Chief surgical resident at Freedmen’s Hospital. During his doctorate studies Drew was assigned to work under John Scudder who received funding for his experimental blood bank. This denied him the privilege and access to patients, which was given to his white colleagues. His mentor, John Scudder, considered him a naturally gifted scholar. Drew later gained the support of Allen Whipple. The research that was carried out by Drew and Scudder, was mainly focused on diagnosis and control of shock, blood chemistry, preservation, fluid balance and transfusion. In the process he wrote his seminal dissertation entitled “Banked Blood: A study in blood preservation.” (Dr. Charles Drew (1904-1950): Medical Pioneer, n.d). This dissertation was labeled a masterpiece by his supervisors and they regarded it as one of the best ever written essay both in cont and form (Dr. Charles Drew (1904-1950): Medical Pioneer, n.d). Drew‘s research analyzed previous studies on blood transfusion and blood in general. He also studied the chemical composition of blood and the fluid replacement process. The study also involved analysis on variables that altered blood quality’s its shelf life. These variables include the amounts and types of anticoagulants and preservatives. He even analyzed the shape of the containers and the temperature in the environment in which the containers are stored. Drew’s major discoveries, mechanisms of blood collection and complex procedures in the storage led to his appointment as the Head of the Blood for Britain project which aimed to transport blood to Britain (Williams, 2011). He worked together with Corwin and Scudder to create a safe method of blood collection, processing, and storage in large amounts. They also developed methods of safely extracting blood plasma and insuring it remains contamination free and safe until it arrives in Britain (Williams, 2011). Drew and his colleagues separated plasma using centrifuging and sedimentation. They then obtained the plasma using anti contamination methods under specific light and ultraviolet lighting (Dr. Charles Drew (1904-1950): Medical Pioneer, n.d). They them cultured these samples to remove bacteria. The removal of bacteria was carried out using Merthiolate and these samples were tested on a weekly basis. These samples were then transported to the ships where they were diluted with saline solution. Before the backing of the blood samples a test for bacteria was carried out (Dr. Charles Drew (1904-1950): Medical Pioneer, n.d). These samples were reported to be satisfactory upon their arrival to England. He later returned to Howard after passing his exams, however, he was asked to return and continue his work in the Blood for Britain project. When the project ended, there had been 14, 556 blood donations and approximately 5 thousand liters were transported to England. This storage process of this program was later adopted by the Red Cross pilot program, which mass produced blood plasma in New York. Drew was appointed as the assistant director of this project and later a similar project was carried out by the National Blood Donor Service. The irony in this is that African Americans were not permitted by the Red Cross to donate blood which meant that Drew himself could not participate in the very procedure he founded. Drew had numerous blood transportation innovations, which included mobile blood transport using trucks with refrigerators. Drew gained a reputation as the father of the blood bank (Dr. Charles Drew (1904-1950): Medical Pioneer, n.d). In the later part of his career, Drew returned to Howard University were he served a surgeon and for nine years. He was also appointed as the Head of surgical department and the chief of the surgical department at Freedmen’s Hospital. His major aim was to educate African American surgeons and who were talented in their filed of study (Dr. Charles Drew (1904-1950): Medical Pioneer, n.d). He also placed these individuals in positions which enabled them to advance and excel in their field of study through out the country. To him this was the greatest contribution he would ever make in the field of medicine. The racial segregation in this time was very high and this was an admirable act on Dr. Drew’s part. He allowed his work to expand from medical achievements and into the humanitarian fields. This is essential in the world and society we live in as influential people should aim to use their positions to influence positive change in the world. Dr. Drew died from a car accident from severe injuries. He was in shock when he arrived at the hospital where transfusion could not rescue him as he had bled heavily. Rumors claim he was denied a blood transfusion because of his race, however there is no substantial evidence to support these accusations. Dr. Drew was a pioneer in his field and implemented transfusion methods that helped rescue many lives. He faced racial discrimination and was denied several privileges that his white colleagues received from the hospitals during his early internship years. However his talent allowed him to advance in both surgery and his studies in blood fusion. His policies of plasma storage were used by many organizations such as the Red Cross and National Blood Donor Service. His development in separating red blood blood cells from blood plasma increased its shelf life and is still implemented in blood techniques today(Lucas, 2012). Dr. Drew is a pioneer in blood transfusion and went against numerous obstacles from society to establish himself as ‘father of the blood bank’. References Dr. Charles Drew (1904-1950): Medical Pioneer. (n.d.) Retrieved from http://redcross.org/museum/history/charlesdrew.asp Lucas, C. E., & Ledgerwood, A. M. (2012). Fresh frozen plasma/red blood cell resuscitation regimen that restores procoagulants without causing adult respiratory distress syndrome. The Journal of Trauma and Acute Care Surgery,72(4), 821. ‘Patent for Preserving Blood Issued November 10, 1942’ (2001). Retrieved from http://www.uspto.gov/news/pr/2001/01-52.jsp The Charles R. Drew Papers. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://profiles.nlm.nih.gov/BG/ Williams, R. A. (2011). Historical Perspectives of Healthcare Disparities: Is the Past Prologue?. In Healthcare Disparities at the Crossroads with Healthcare Reform (pp. 7-21). Springer US. Wilson, B. A., O’Connor, W. G., & Willis, M. S. (2011). The legacy of Charles R. Drew, MD, CM, MDSc. Immunohematology/American Red Cross, 27(3), 94. Outline Introduction 1. Introduction of the topic. Life of Charles Richard Drew Summary of his events Aim of the paper Body 2. Life of Charles Richard Drew Details on the Life of Charles Richard Drew Education Achievements during years of education 3. Career and discoveries Internship Research Work with John Scudder Research methods Blood for Britain project Work with the Red Cross Late stage of Career Work with African American Surgeon Conclusion Read More