Blood Drive
Learned the hard way during World War I, most fatalities on the battlefield occurred not from the direct physical damage of bullet wounds inflicted on a solider, but from subsequent loss of blood. As another war seemed inevitable some 20 years later, finding a way to replace lost blood became a medical priority.
Edwin Cohn, a Harvard biochemist, discovered a technique of breaking down blood plasma to isolate a protein called albumin. This protein could be stored for long periods without spoiling, shipped efficiently and used easily on a battlefield to save lives.
CF&I’s own Corwin hospital employed nurses and physicians to work dozens of Blood Drives throughout the War. In the spring of 1944, Corwin Hospital nursing staff managed a three day long blood drive in conjunction with the American Red Cross. CF&I set and met an ambitious goal to collect 25,000 pints of blood over the course of the three days.
