George Washington Crile
Encyclopedia
George Washington Crile (November 11, 1864, Chili, Ohio – January 7, 1943, Cleveland, Ohio
) was a significant American surgeon. Crile is now formally recognized as the first surgeon to have succeeded in a direct blood transfusion
. He also contributed to other procedures, such as neck dissection
. Crile designed a small haemostatic forceps which bears his name; the Crile mosquito clamp. He also described a technique for using opioids, regional anaesthesia and general anaesthesia which is a concept known as balanced anaesthesia. He is known for co-founding the Cleveland Clinic
in 1921.
. 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. He was Chair of Surgery at University Hospitals Case Medical Center from 1910 to 1924, and established its Lakeside Hospital.
During the Spanish-American War
, he was made a member of the Medical Reserve Corps and served in Puerto Rico
(1898). He was made an honorable F.R.C.S. (London) in 1913. After America entered World War I
, he became major in the medical O.T.C., and professional director (1917-8). He served with the B.E.F. in France and was senior consultant in surgical research (1918-9). He was made lieutenant-colonel in June 1918 and colonel later in the year.
He made important contributions to the study of blood 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 general anaesthesia, by first anaesthetizing the operative region with cocaine
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 1914.
Crile is the author of A Mechanistic View of War and Peace, published in 1917. He also wrote Surgical Shock (1897), On the Blood Pressure in Surgery (1903), Hemorrhage and Transfusion (1909), Surgical Anemia and Resuscitation (1914), The Origin and Nature of the Emotions (1915), Man an Adaptive Mechanism (1916) and The Fallacy of the German State Philosophy (1918).
The lunar crater Crile
is also named after him. He is buried in Lake View Cemetery in Cleveland, Ohio.
His son George Crile, Jr.
was also a surgeon. His grandson George Crile III
was a journalist, author, and CBS producer.
Cleveland, Ohio
Cleveland is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and is the county seat of Cuyahoga County, the most populous county in the state. The city is located in northeastern Ohio on the southern shore of Lake Erie, approximately west of the Pennsylvania border...
) was a significant American surgeon. Crile is now formally recognized as the first surgeon to have succeeded in a direct blood transfusion
Blood transfusion
Blood transfusion is the process of receiving blood products into one's circulation intravenously. Transfusions are used in a variety of medical conditions to replace lost components of the blood...
. He also contributed to other procedures, such as neck dissection
Neck dissection
The neck dissection is a surgical procedure for control of neck lymph node metastasis from Squamous cell carcinoma and Merkel cell carcinoma of the head and neck. The aim of the procedure is to remove lymph nodes from one side of the neck into which cancer cells may have migrated...
. Crile designed a small haemostatic forceps which bears his name; the Crile mosquito clamp. He also described a technique for using opioids, regional anaesthesia and general anaesthesia which is a concept known as balanced anaesthesia. He is known for co-founding the Cleveland Clinic
Cleveland Clinic
The Cleveland Clinic is a multispecialty academic medical center located in Cleveland, Ohio, United States. The Cleveland Clinic is currently regarded as one of the top 4 hospitals in the United States as rated by U.S. News & World Report...
in 1921.
Biography
Crile graduated from Ohio Northern University in 1884, and in 1887 received his M.D. from Wooster Medical College which merged to form modern day Case Western Reserve University School of MedicineCase Western Reserve University School of Medicine
Case Western Reserve School of Medicine is one of the graduate schools of Case Western Reserve University, and is located in the University Circle neighborhood of Cleveland, Ohio. The School of Medicine is among the top 25 medical schools in America and is the top-ranked medical school of Ohio in...
. 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. He was Chair of Surgery at University Hospitals Case Medical Center from 1910 to 1924, and established its Lakeside Hospital.
During the Spanish-American War
Spanish-American War
The Spanish–American War was a conflict in 1898 between Spain and the United States, effectively the result of American intervention in the ongoing Cuban War of Independence...
, he was made a member of the Medical Reserve Corps and served in Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico , officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico , is an unincorporated territory of the United States, located in the northeastern Caribbean, east of the Dominican Republic and west of both the United States Virgin Islands and the British Virgin Islands.Puerto Rico comprises an...
(1898). He was made an honorable F.R.C.S. (London) in 1913. After America entered World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
, he became major in the medical O.T.C., and professional director (1917-8). He served with the B.E.F. in France and was senior consultant in surgical research (1918-9). He was made lieutenant-colonel in June 1918 and colonel later in the year.
He made important contributions to the study of blood pressure
Blood pressure
Blood pressure is the pressure exerted by circulating blood upon the walls of blood vessels, and is one of the principal vital signs. When used without further specification, "blood pressure" usually refers to the arterial pressure of the systemic circulation. During each heartbeat, BP varies...
and of shock in operations. Realizing that any strong emotion
Emotion
Emotion is a complex psychophysiological experience of an individual's state of mind as interacting with biochemical and environmental influences. In humans, emotion fundamentally involves "physiological arousal, expressive behaviors, and conscious experience." Emotion is associated with mood,...
, 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 general anaesthesia, by first anaesthetizing the operative region with cocaine
Cocaine
Cocaine is a crystalline tropane alkaloid that is obtained from the leaves of the coca plant. The name comes from "coca" in addition to the alkaloid suffix -ine, forming cocaine. It is a stimulant of the central nervous system, an appetite suppressant, and a topical anesthetic...
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 1914.
Crile is the author of A Mechanistic View of War and Peace, published in 1917. He also wrote Surgical Shock (1897), On the Blood Pressure in Surgery (1903), Hemorrhage and Transfusion (1909), Surgical Anemia and Resuscitation (1914), The Origin and Nature of the Emotions (1915), Man an Adaptive Mechanism (1916) and The Fallacy of the German State Philosophy (1918).
The lunar crater Crile
Crile (crater)
Crile is a tiny lunar crater. It is roughly circular and cup-shaped, with interior walls that slope down to the mid-point. The crater lies in the Palus Somni, between the Mare Crisium to the east and Mare Tranquillitatis to the west....
is also named after him. He is buried in Lake View Cemetery in Cleveland, Ohio.
His son George Crile, Jr.
George Crile, Jr.
George Washington "Barney" Crile, Jr. was an American surgeon. He was a significant influence on how breast cancer is treated and was a visible and controversial advocate for alternative procedures....
was also a surgeon. His grandson George Crile III
George Crile III
George Crile III was an U.S. American journalist most closely associated with his three decades of work at CBS News.-Personal:...
was a journalist, author, and CBS producer.
External links
- Crile biography from PBSPublic Broadcasting ServiceThe Public Broadcasting Service is an American non-profit public broadcasting television network with 354 member TV stations in the United States which hold collective ownership. Its headquarters is in Arlington, Virginia....
website