from my anatomy book...
"Charles Drew was a scientist who lived and died in the grip of irony. After receiving his MD from McGill University of Montreal in 1933, Drew became the first African American person to pursue the advnced degree of Doctor of Science in Medicine, for which he studied transfusion and blood-banking at Columbia University. He became the director of a new blood bank at Columbia Presbyterian Hospital in 1939 and organized numerous blood banks during World War II.
Drew saved countless lives by convincing physicians to use plasma rather than whole blood during transfusions. Whole blood could be stored for only a week and given only to patients with compatible blood types. Plasma could be stored longer and was less likely to cause transfusion reactions.
Late on night in 1950, Drew and three colleagues set out to volunteer their medical services to an annual free clinic in Tuskegee, Alabama. Drew fell asleep at the wheel and was critically injured in the resulting accident. Doctors at the nearest hospital administered blood and attempted unsuccessfully to revive him. For all the lives he saved through his pioneering work in blood transfusion, Drew himself bled to death at the age of 45."
Drew saved countless lives by convincing physicians to use plasma rather than whole blood during transfusions. Whole blood could be stored for only a week and given only to patients with compatible blood types. Plasma could be stored longer and was less likely to cause transfusion reactions.
Late on night in 1950, Drew and three colleagues set out to volunteer their medical services to an annual free clinic in Tuskegee, Alabama. Drew fell asleep at the wheel and was critically injured in the resulting accident. Doctors at the nearest hospital administered blood and attempted unsuccessfully to revive him. For all the lives he saved through his pioneering work in blood transfusion, Drew himself bled to death at the age of 45."