Augustus Crouch Kinney (July 26, 1845 - March 24, 1908) was an American physician and scientist in the state of

Oregon Oregon ( , ) is a U.S. state, state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is a part of the Western U.S., with the Columbia River delineating much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington (state), Washington, while t ...

. A native of

Iowa Iowa ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the upper Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders the Mississippi River to the east and the Missouri River and Big Sioux River to the west; Wisconsin to the northeast, Ill ...

, his family moved to

Oregon Country Oregon Country was a large region of the Pacific Northwest of North America that was subject to a long Oregon boundary dispute, dispute between the United Kingdom and the United States in the early 19th century. The area, which had been demarcat ...

when he was an infant where he was raised and started his medical career. He practiced the majority of his career in

Astoria, Oregon Astoria is a Port, port city in and the county seat of Clatsop County, Oregon, United States. Founded in 1811, Astoria is the oldest city in the state and was the first permanent American settlement west of the Rocky Mountains. The county is the ...

, and was a leading expert on

tuberculosis Tuberculosis (TB), also known colloquially as the "white death", or historically as consumption, is a contagious disease usually caused by ''Mycobacterium tuberculosis'' (MTB) bacteria. Tuberculosis generally affects the lungs, but it can al ...

Early life

Augustus Kinney was born on July 26, 1845, to

Robert The name Robert is an ancient Germanic given name, from Proto-Germanic "fame" and "bright" (''Hrōþiberhtaz''). Compare Old Dutch ''Robrecht'' and Old High German ''Hrodebert'' (a compound of ''Hrōþ, Hruod'' () "fame, glory, honour, prais ...

and Eliza Lee (née Bigelow) Kinney in

Muscatine, Iowa Muscatine ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Muscatine County, Iowa, United States. The population was 23,797 at the time of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, an increase from 22,697 in 2000 United States Census, 2000. It is loca ...

.Corning, Howard M. (1989) ''Dictionary of Oregon History''.

Binfords & Mort Publishing Binford & Mort Publishing is a book publishing company located in Hillsboro, Oregon, United States. Founded in 1930, the company was previously known as Metropolitan Press and Binfords & Mort. At one time they were the largest book publisher in th ...

. p. 135. Two years later he traveled the

Oregon Trail The Oregon Trail was a east–west, large-wheeled wagon route and Westward Expansion Trails, emigrant trail in North America that connected the Missouri River to valleys in Oregon Territory. The eastern part of the Oregon Trail crossed what ...

with his family in a wagon train that included

Joel Palmer General Joel Palmer (October 4, 1810 – June 9, 1881) was an American pioneer of the Oregon Territory in the Pacific Northwest region of North America. He was born in Upper Canada, and spent his early years in New York and Pennsylvania before se ...

and his family. Kinney's family settled in the Chehalem Valley of what is now

Yamhill County, Oregon Yamhill County is one of the 36 counties in the U.S. state of Oregon. As of the 2020 census, the population was 107,722. The county seat is McMinnville. Yamhill County was named after the Yamhelas, members of the Kalapuya Tribe. Yamhill Co ...

, where his father grew an orchard. His father also was a member of the

Oregon Constitutional Convention The Oregon Constitutional Convention in 1857 drafted the Oregon Constitution in preparation for the Oregon Territory to become a U.S. state. Held from mid-August through September, 60 men met in Salem, Oregon, and created the foundation for Oregon' ...

and territorial legislator. Augustus earned his education at

Pacific University Pacific University is a private university in Forest Grove, Oregon, United States. Founded in 1849 as the Tualatin Academy, the original Forest Grove campus is west of Portland. Affiliated with the United Church of Christ, the school mainta ...

in Forest Grove, and at McMinnville College (now Linfield College) in McMinnville, before entering

medical school A medical school is a tertiary educational institution, professional school, or forms a part of such an institution, that teaches medicine, and awards a professional degree for physicians. Such medical degrees include the Bachelor of Medicine, ...

. In 1866, he married Jane Welch, and the marriage did not produce any children. He started his medical training at

Willamette University College of Medicine Willamette University College of Medicine is a former school of medicine that was part of Willamette University. Founded in 1867 as the first medical school in Oregon, the school relocated between Portland, Oregon, Portland and the main university ...

in Salem where he graduated in 1869, and the next year he graduated from Bellevue Hospital Medical College (now

New York University School of Medicine The New York University Grossman School of Medicine is a medical school of New York University, a private research university in New York City. It was founded in 1841 and is one of two medical schools of the university, the other being the NYU G ...

) in

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

. Kinney was one of eleven children in the family, with eight living to adulthood, including his younger brother

Alfred Alfred may refer to: Arts and entertainment *''Alfred J. Kwak'', Dutch-German-Japanese anime television series * ''Alfred'' (Arne opera), a 1740 masque by Thomas Arne * ''Alfred'' (Dvořák), an 1870 opera by Antonín Dvořák *"Alfred (Interlu ...

who also graduated from medical school.

Career

In 1871, Kinney began a medical practice in

Portland, Oregon Portland ( ) is the List of cities in Oregon, most populous city in the U.S. state of Oregon, located in the Pacific Northwest region. Situated close to northwest Oregon at the confluence of the Willamette River, Willamette and Columbia River, ...

, where his brother joined him. He left Portland in 1873 for

California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...

, where he remained until 1875 when he returned to Oregon. Kinney set up practice in Astoria where he remained until his death. His treatments for

received notoriety from around the world and was considered a leading expert on the disease in the United States. Kinney was also a frequent contributor to

medical journals Medical literature is the scientific literature of medicine: articles in journals and texts in books devoted to the field of medicine. Many references to the medical literature include the health care literature generally, including that of denti ...

.Gaston, Joseph. 1911
''Portland, Oregon, its history and builders: in connection with the antecedent explorations, discoveries, and movements of the pioneers that selected the site for the great city of the Pacific''
Chicago: S.J. Clarke Pub. Co. Vol. III. p. 417.

Later life

Kinney did some scientific work in addition to his medical work. This included studying the Nehalem Beeswax along the

Oregon Coast The Oregon Coast is a coastal region of the U.S. state of Oregon. It is bordered by the Pacific Ocean to its west and the Oregon Coast Range to the east, and stretches approximately from the California state border in the south to the Columbia ...

, which Kinney believed was

ozocerite Ozokerite or ozocerite, archaically referred to as earthwax or earth wax, is a naturally occurring odoriferous mineral wax or Paraffin wax, paraffin found in many localities. Lacking a definite composition and crystalline structure, it is not c ...

. He also donated a collection of fish from Astoria to the

Smithsonian Institution The Smithsonian Institution ( ), or simply the Smithsonian, is a group of museums, Education center, education and Research institute, research centers, created by the Federal government of the United States, U.S. government "for the increase a ...

in 1888. Augustus Kinney died on March 24, 1908, at the age of 62 at the

Fabiola Hospital The Fabiola Hospital (also known as, ''Oakland Homeopathic Hospital and Dispensary Association'') is a defunct American hospital in Oakland, California. Named after Saint Fabiola, it was founded in 1876 by 18 women. The medical staff was composed ...

Oakland, California Oakland is a city in the East Bay region of the San Francisco Bay Area in the U.S. state of California. It is the county seat and most populous city in Alameda County, California, Alameda County, with a population of 440,646 in 2020. A major We ...

, of cancer and was buried at the IOOF Cemetery (now

Salem Pioneer Cemetery Salem Pioneer Cemetery (also known as the Oddfellows, I.O.O.F. Cemetery or Oddfellows Cemetery) is a cemetery in Salem, Oregon, United States. It has been listed as a National Register of Historic Places since 2013, under the name Odd Fellows Ru ...

) in Salem. His nephew Augustus, from his brother Alfred, also was a doctor who studied tuberculosis.

References

External links

Surgical kit in leather case
– OHSU Archives {{DEFAULTSORT:Kinney, Augustus Crouch 1908 deaths 1845 births People from Astoria, Oregon People from Yamhill County, Oregon People from Muscatine, Iowa Willamette University alumni Pacific University alumni Linfield University alumni New York University Grossman School of Medicine alumni Burials at Salem Pioneer Cemetery Physicians from Oregon