Dr. Charles Drew, an African American surgeon and researcher, developed techniques for processing and preserving blood plasma that made large-scale blood banking possible. In 1940, he directed the "Blood for Britain" project, shipping dried plasma to London during the Blitz. He then organized the American Red Cross blood bank program.
Drew's work was transformative: he developed standardized procedures for collecting, testing, processing, and transfusing blood and plasma that could be stored for weeks rather than days. Mobile blood banks brought the capability close to the front lines, dramatically reducing deaths from shock and blood loss.
Tragically, the U.S. military initially refused to use blood from African American donors, then agreed to accept it but kept it segregated—a policy with no scientific basis. Drew publicly criticized the policy, and there is evidence that the controversy contributed to his resignation from the Red Cross. Despite his monumental contributions, Drew faced racial discrimination throughout his career. He died in 1950 from injuries sustained in a car accident. The persistent myth that he was denied a blood transfusion due to his race is not supported by evidence—his injuries were simply too severe.