George Washington Crile | |
|---|---|
 George Washington Crile | |
| Born | November 11, 1864 |
| Died | January 7, 1943(1943-01-07) (aged 78) |
| Resting place | Lake View Cemetery,Cleveland, Ohio, U.S. |
| Alma mater | Ohio Northern University; Wooster Medical College (now part ofCase Western Reserve University School of Medicine |
| Known for | Co-founding theCleveland Clinic |
| Children | George Crile, Jr. |
| Relatives | George Crile III (grandson),Rip Esselstyn (great-grandson) |
| Scientific career | |
| Fields | Surgery |
George Washington Crile (November 11, 1864 – January 7, 1943) was anAmerican surgeon. Crile is now formally recognized as the first surgeon to have succeeded in a directblood transfusion.[1] He contributed to other procedures, such asneck dissection. Crile designed a small hemostatic forceps which bears his name; the Crile mosquito clamp. He also described a technique for using opioids, regional anesthesia and general anesthesia which is a concept known asbalanced anesthesia. He is also known for co-founding theCleveland Clinic in 1921.
Crile was born inChili, Ohio. He graduated fromOhio Northern University in 1885.[2] In 1887, he received hisM.D. from Wooster Medical College which merged to form modern dayCase Western Reserve University School of Medicine.[3][4][5] He did further study at Vienna, London and Paris.
He taught at Wooster from 1889 to 1900. He was professor of clinical medicine at Western Reserve University from 1900 to 1911, and was then made professor of surgery.[2] He was chair of surgery atLakeside Hospital from 1910 to 1924.[6] Crile was responsible for whole blood transfusion, in 1906, and he spurred the use of the new X-ray machines.[6]
During theSpanish–American War, he was made a member of the Medical Reserve Corps and served inPuerto Rico (1898). He was made an honorableF.R.C.S. (London) in 1913. After America enteredWorld War I, he became a major in the medical O.T.C., and professional director (1917–18). He served with theBritish Expeditionary Force (B.E.F.) in France and was senior consultant in surgical research (1918–19). He was made lieutenant-colonel in June 1918, and colonel later in the year.[2]
He made important contributions to the study ofblood pressure and of shock in operations. Realizing that any strong emotion, such as fear before operation, produced shock, he attempted to allay dread by psychic suggestion, also endeavouring to prevent the subjective shock which affects the patient, even when under generalanaesthesia, by first anaesthetizing the operative region withcocaine for several days, if necessary, before operating. Thus nerve communication between the affected part and the brain was already obstructed when the general anaesthetic was administered. For his work in shockless surgery he received a gold medal from the National Institute of Social Sciences in 1917.[2]
When he retired from the Medical School at age 65, Crile went into private practice and worked with those establishing the newCleveland Clinic.[6]
He married Grace Elizabeth McBride (1876–1948), a sister ofDavid Reed. His son,George Crile Jr., was also a surgeon. His grandsonGeorge Crile III was a journalist, author, and CBS producer.
He died on January 7, 1943, in Cleveland. He is buried inLake View Cemetery in Cleveland, Ohio.[10]
His interest in shock from blood loss culminated in the first local transfusion of whole blood in 1906 and his interest in trauma spurred the use of the new Roentgen X-ray machines.
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