Jean-Dominique-Philippe-Auguste Vinson (4 August 1819,

Sainte-Suzanne, Réunion Sainte-Suzanne () is a Communes of France, commune on the north coast of the France, French island and department of Réunion, an island located approximately 950 km (590 mi) east of the island of Madagascar. Geography Sainte-Suzanne is bordere ...

– 27 August 1903,

Saint-Denis, Réunion Saint-Denis (, ; ), unofficially Saint-Denis de La Réunion () for disambiguation, is the prefectures in France, prefecture (administrative capital) of the France, French overseas department and region of Réunion, in the Indian Ocean. It is lo ...

) was a French physician and

naturalist Natural history is a domain of inquiry involving organisms, including animals, fungi, and plants, in their natural environment, leaning more towards observational than experimental methods of study. A person who studies natural history is cal ...

. His father, François-Auguste Vinson (1791–1851), was a noted physician and politician. He was educated in Saint-Denis,

Nantes Nantes (, ; ; or ; ) is a city in the Loire-Atlantique department of France on the Loire, from the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic coast. The city is the List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, sixth largest in France, with a pop ...

and

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...

, where he studied medicine under Alfred Velpeau. After finishing his studies in France, he returned to Saint-Denis.Vinson Auguste (1819-1903) - Découvrir le Patrimoine de La Réunion
(biographical information) In 1862 Vinson was sent to

Madagascar Madagascar, officially the Republic of Madagascar, is an island country that includes the island of Madagascar and numerous smaller peripheral islands. Lying off the southeastern coast of Africa, it is the world's List of islands by area, f ...

Napoleon III Napoleon III (Charles-Louis Napoléon Bonaparte; 20 April 18089 January 1873) was President of France from 1848 to 1852 and then Emperor of the French from 1852 until his deposition in 1870. He was the first president, second emperor, and last ...

to attend the coronation of

Radama II Radama II (September 23, 1829 – May 12, 1863 'contested'' was the son and heir of Queen Ranavalona I and ruled from 1861 to 1863 over the Kingdom of Madagascar, which controlled virtually the entire island. Radama's rule, although brief, ...

. While here, he conducted valuable investigations of the islands' flora and fauna. As a naturalist, he is known for his research of

Araneidae Orb-weaver spiders are members of the spider family Araneidae. They are the most common group of builders of spiral wheel-shaped webs often found in gardens, fields, and forests. The English word "orb" can mean "circular", hence the English name ...

(orb-weaver spiders) native to Madagascar,

Réunion Réunion (; ; ; known as before 1848) is an island in the Indian Ocean that is an overseas departments and regions of France, overseas department and region of France. Part of the Mascarene Islands, it is located approximately east of the isl ...

and

Mauritius Mauritius, officially the Republic of Mauritius, is an island country in the Indian Ocean, about off the southeastern coast of East Africa, east of Madagascar. It includes the main island (also called Mauritius), as well as Rodrigues, Ag ...

. Vinson is also credited for being the first scientist to successively cultivate

cinchona ''Cinchona'' (pronounced or ) is a genus of flowering plants in the family Rubiaceae containing at least 23 species of trees and shrubs. All are native to the Tropical Andes, tropical Andean forests of western South America. A few species are ...

on Réunion. Vinson was a corresponding member of the ''

Académie des Sciences The French Academy of Sciences (, ) is a learned society, founded in 1666 by Louis XIV at the suggestion of Jean-Baptiste Colbert, to encourage and protect the spirit of French Scientific method, scientific research. It was at the forefron ...

''.

Selected works

* ''Aranéides des 'îles La Réunion, Maurice et Madagascar, avec 14 planches contenant 118 figures dessinées d'aprés nature'', 1863 -

native to Réunion, Mauritius and Madagascar. * ''Voyage à Madagascar au couronnement de Radama II'', 1865 - Voyage to Madagascar for the coronation of Radama II. * ''Mémoire sur les essais d'acclimatation des arbres à quinquina à l'île de la Réunion'', 1875 - On acclimation of cinchona trees on Réunion. * "Faune détruite. Les Aepiornidés et les Huppes de l’île Bourbon", 1877. ''Bulletin Hebdomadaire de l’Association Scientifique de France'' 20, 327–331. * ''Salazie; ou, Le piton d'Anchaine, légende créole'', 1888. * ''Notes publiées par le Docteur Auguste Vinson, sur la Flore de l'île de la Réunion'', 1896 - Published notes of Dr. Vinson in regards to the flora of Réunion.OCLC WorldCat Identities
(publications)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Vinson, Auguste 1819 births 1903 deaths People from Réunion French naturalists