Tag Archives: blood banking

Bloody segregation: The story of how Charles Richard Drew found life abundantly

February 10, 2020

Amy DeMatt Greensburg, Pennsylvania, United States   Charles R. Drew, “Father of the Blood Bank,” as depicted by Betsy Graves Reyneau. The portrait hangs at the National Portrait Gallery, and, as described by the Gallery, serves as a “visual rebuttal to racism.” Portrait of Charles R. Drew, painted by Betsy Graves Reyneau, 1950, National Portrait […]

The past and future of blood banking

February 4, 2020

Eva Kitri Mutch Stoddart Saigon, Vietnam   Image from “Clysmatica nova: sive ratio, qua in venam sectam medicamenta immitti possint, ut eodem modo, ac si per os assumta fuissent, operentur: addita etiam omnibus seculis inaudita sanguinis transfusion,” Artist: Elsholtz, Johann Sigismund (1623–1688), 1667. Wellcome Collection. Public domain. Blood oozes allure. The elixir of life, viscous […]

Hidden heroes

January 27, 2020

Candace Thomas Salt Lake City, Utah, United States   Designed by ArthurHidden / Freepik Being a blood banker is an interesting job and one not many understand. “So you draw people’s blood?” No, that’s a phlebotomist. “Oh, but you work in a hospital. Are you a nurse?” No. “If I donate blood, can I request […]

Blood and war: Preserving plasma and humanity

January 22, 2020

Navanjana Siriwardane Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island, Canada   “Charles Drew with Laboratory Apparatus – Charles R. Drew – Profiles in Science.” U.S. National Library of Medicine. National Institutes of Health. Accessed January 4, 2020. Amidst the fighting and chaotic nature of World War II, the need for proper blood banking was greater than ever. Millions […]