General
George Washington Crile, Sr.
George Washington Crile was born on November 11th, 1864 on a farm near
Chili, Ohio. His life spanned the two most horrific events in
American history: the civil war and WW II. Military medicine and
combat surgery proved to be a seminal laboratory for Crile, an
experience that had application to civilian medicine.
He served in the Spanish American War as a Brigade Surgeon with the
rank of Major. It was in this war that Crile saw hundreds of
soldiers suffering from exhaustion, shock, and fear. Prior to his
military service, Crile had conducted research experiments on animals
and noted the relationship between shock, blood pressure, and the
onset of death. In 1906 he performed the first successful human
to human blood transfusion at St. Alexis Hospital in Cleveland.
The Great War (1914-1918) was horrific, but a vital laboratory for the
advancement of field surgery, triage, and a team approach to
treatment. Dr.Crile established the first detachment of the American
Expeditionary Force and was subsequently put in charge of research for
the AEF. Crile's cousin, Dr. William Lower joined the Unit as
Commanding Officer, as did Dr. Fred Bunts. After the War, these three
surgeons were joined by Dr. John Phillips and in 1921 this group
practice was organized as a non-profit corporation known as the
Cleveland Clinic Foundation.
Crile's internationally distinguished career demonstrated the vital
relationship between research and application to patient treatment.
Specifically, with thousands of patients to examine and treat as a
result of war, Crile applied the techniques of combat medicine to
civilian surgery. In medical terms Crile was one of the first
research surgeons to define surgical physiology. He was a
founder of the American College of Surgeons in 1912, chairman of the
governing board of that organization for 26 years, authored 24 books,
and over 400 articles. George Washington Crile retired in 1941.
Crile and his son George Crile Jr., "Barney" practiced
together at the Cleveland Clinic Foundation. At the time of his
death the senior Crile had experimented with a pressure suit that was
the prototype of those needed for high altitude supersonic speeds.
It was therefore appropriate that when the Army sought a name for
its general hospital in the Cleveland area they chose Crile. The
hospital, formally dedicated in April 1944, became known as
Crile Hospital for the next 20 years. At the dedication,
according to press reports, 100,000 attended the opening ceremonies,
featuring General Norman Kirk commanding officer of the Army Medical
Department. Grace Crile, the widow of General Crile was also
present. Son "Barney" was on active duty in the
Pacific.
