Lawrence Bruce Robertson was a

Canadian Canadians (french: Canadiens) are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of ...

surgeon who developed methods for and promoted the use of blood transfusions in battlefield surgery during

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

Early life and education

Robertson studied medicine at the

University of Toronto The University of Toronto (UToronto or U of T) is a public university, public research university in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, located on the grounds that surround Queen's Park (Toronto), Queen's Park. It was founded by royal charter in 1827 ...

, graduating in 1909. He interned at the Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto.

Career

Robertson engaged in post-graduate training in Boston and New York, where he studied methods of blood transfusion at

Bellevue Hospital Bellevue Hospital (officially NYC Health + Hospitals/Bellevue and formerly known as Bellevue Hospital Center) is a hospital in New York City and the oldest public hospital in the United States. One of the largest hospitals in the United States ...

, during a time when the process was not widely accepted for use in surgery. He returned to Canada in 1913, and worked at the Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto, where he introduced the processes he had learned to other physicians. With the advent of war, Robertson enlisted in the armed forces in 1914. In October 1915, Robertson used the syringe method of transfusion which he had learned in New York to perform a transfusion, providing blood to a patient suffering from shrapnel wounds. After four more successful transfusions over several months, he reported his results to Sir

Walter Morley Fletcher Sir Walter Morley Fletcher, (21 July 1873 – 7 June 1933)- was a British physiologist and administrator. Fletcher graduated from Trinity College, Cambridge Trinity College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge. Founded ...

, director of the Medical Research Committee."A Canadian kept blood flowing in WWI. An American got credit"
''Toronto Star''. July 9, 2016. Katie Daubs In 1916 he wrote an article for the '' British Medical Journal'' detailing his results, titled "The Transfusion of Whole Blood: A Suggestion for More Frequent Employment in War Surgery". This, along with improvements in the process developed by British physician

Edward William Archibald Edward William Archibald (August 5, 1872 – December 17, 1945) was a Canadian surgeon. Archibald was born in Montreal, Quebec, and received his initial education in Grenoble, France. Upon returning to Canada, he attended McGill Univers ...

, persuaded the British authorities to accept the practice of blood transfusion. In 1917 Robertson set up blood transfusion apparatus at Nomber 2 Casualty Clearing Station in France. Following the war, Robertson returned to Toronto. In 1920, he was an orthopedic surgeon at Davisville Military Hospital. Robertson died of pneumonia in 1923 at the age of 38.

Personal

Robertson was married to Enid Gordon (née Finley) Graham, a massage/physical therapist. The couple had two children.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Robertson, Lawrence Canadian surgeons 1923 deaths