The first successful direct blood transfusion was performed by George Washington Crile in 1906, establishing a foundation for modern life-saving surgical techniques. Beyond his technical innovations, he fundamentally changed operative standards by researching shock and developing balanced anesthesia, which combined regional cocaine blocks with general anesthesia to protect patients from the physiological damage of extreme fear and physical trauma.
Early Education and Career
Born in 1864 in Chili, Ohio, Crile pursued medical studies at Ohio Northern University, graduating in 1885. He continued his training at Wooster Medical College, which eventually merged into the Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine. After receiving his medical degree in 1887, he expanded his expertise through further study in Vienna, London, and Paris. He began his teaching career at Wooster from 1889 to 1900, later serving as professor of clinical medicine and eventually surgery at Western Reserve University. His leadership roles included chair of surgery at Lakeside Hospital from 1910 to 1924.
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Crile’s clinical research focused on the causes and prevention of shock, leading to the publication of Surgical Shock in 1897 and On the Blood Pressure in Surgery in 1903. He posited that intense preoperative emotion contributed to shock, proposing a technique to mitigate this through regional anesthesia administered prior to general anesthesia. This work resulted in the 1917 gold medal from the National Institute of Social Sciences. Beyond his theories, he developed practical surgical tools, including the hemostatic clamp known as the Crile mosquito forceps, and actively promoted the integration of new X-ray machines into hospital settings.
Military Service and Clinical Leadership
He was promoted to lieutenant-colonel in June 1918 and later to colonel. Following his formal retirement from medical school at age 65, he devoted his time to private practice and helped establish the Cleveland Clinic in 1921. His extensive output included titles such as Man an Adaptive Mechanism, The Origin and Nature of the Emotions, and The Surgical Treatment of Hypertension.
Recognition and Legacy
Crile was an honorary Fellow of the Royal College of Surgeons and a member of the American Philosophical Society and the Royal Academy of Medicine of Belgium. Following his death in Cleveland on January 7, 1943, he was interred at Lake View Cemetery. Posthumous honors included the naming of the SS George Crile Liberty ship and the Crile General Hospital in Cleveland, dedicated in 1944. Astronomically, a lunar crater bears his name to commemorate his contributions to medical science.
Fast facts
- Born: 1864, Chili, Ohio
- Died: 1943, Cleveland, Ohio
- Primary affiliation: Cleveland Clinic
- Notable surgical innovation: Direct blood transfusion (1906)
- Professional memberships: American Philosophical Society, Royal Academy of Medicine of Belgium
- Education: Ohio Northern University, Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine
- Burial site: Lake View Cemetery
- Military rank: Colonel
Questions readers ask
What is balanced anesthesia?
It is a technique Crile described involving the combination of opioids, regional anesthesia, and general anesthesia to obstruct nerve communication between the operative region and the brain.
What was Crile's primary focus in surgical research?
He focused on blood pressure, the physical nature of shock, and methods to prevent physiological stress in patients during surgery.
Achievements
- honorary Fellow of the Royal College of Surgeons — 1913
- Notable work: Surgical shock
- Notable work: blood transfusion
- Held posts at Cleveland Clinic
