William Augustus Hinton

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William Augustus Hinton
By Stacy Stefanski and
Jason Wettengel
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Syphilis

• In 1884, more than 1,700 children died of
  syphilis in England. This caused concern in the
  medical field and more attention was given to the
  disease

• Syphilis is a STD caused by the bacterium
  treponema pallidum

• Syphilis is often called the the great
  imitator because so many of the signs and
  symptoms resemble those of other diseases

• There are three different stages of Syphilis

• Primary Stage a sore Secondary Stage rashes
  and cold-like symptoms Last Stage internal
  organ damage, even death

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Background

• Born December 15, 1883 in Chicago, Illinois

• Hinton died on August 8, 1959 at age 75

• His parents were Augustus Hinton and Maria
  Clark, both former slaves

• Hinton was an only child

• He attended local high school

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Education

• Attended University of Kansas from 1900-1902

• Earned a Bachelor of Science from University of
  Harvard in 1905

• During summers, Hinton studied bacteriology and
  physiology at the University of Chicago

• In 1909, Hinton went to Harvard Medical School
• Earned his M.D. with honors 3 years later

• Hinton refused to accept a scholarship offered
  by Harvard for black students, but won the
  Wigglesworth Scholarship Hayden Scholarship,
  both were offered to the entire student body

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Career Highlights

• Taught at Walden University in Nashville,
  Tennessee and at a state school in Langston,
  Oklahoma from 1905-1909 to pay for medical school
  because he lacked the funds to attend

• After receiving his M.D. from Harvard, he began
  teaching serological techniques for Wasserman
  Laboratory in 1912, which at that time was part
  of Harvard Medical School

• When Wasserman became Massachusetts Department
  of Public Health in 1915, Hinton was given the
  position of Assistant Director of the Division of
  Biological Laboratories and chief of lab

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Career Highlights cont...

• In 1918, Hinton became the instructor in
  preventive medicine and hygiene at Harvard
  Medical School
  
  while continuing to serve as
  chief of the lab at Dept. of Public Health

• Hinton became the 1st black professor in Harvard
  Medical Schools 313 year existence after working
  his way through lower positions, such as
  instructor and lecturer from 1921 to 1949

• Retired from Harvard Medical School in 1950 with
  the title of professor emeritus

• Continued to teach there until 1957

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Obstacles

• Being an only child and coming from a slave
  family, no one could help him or give advice with
  his education
• Without much assistance he succeeded in
  furthering his education in college and then on
  to medical school

• Also coming from a poor family, he lacked money
  to go to college
• However he worked a few jobs to earn money for
  medical school

• People had a hard timing looking past his race,
  and seeing him for his mind
• When he suspected dual standards for blacks
  and whites, he chose to compete with the whites

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Contributions

• Through his struggles he gave other minorities
  hope to succeed

• Hintons largest contribution was the
  Davies-Hinton Test, which was the most accurate
  and reliable method of testing for syphilis,
  using spinal fluid

• He also has several immeasurable contributions
  to the universities and labs to which he was a
  part of. His research aided the advancement in
  diagnosis and treatment of syphilis

• He was the first black to publish an academic
  textbook. His book not only educated victims of
  the disease but also those at risk and other
  physicians published Syphilis and
  Its Treatment in 1936

• Hinton was a consultant at the Massachusetts
  School for Crippled Children in Boston

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Contributing Factors to Success

• Racism the prejudice Hinton encountered only
  pushed him to prove that he, along with other
  blacks or minorities, could compete with whites
  on academic and professional levels

• Grew up around the time that syphilis was
  becoming a big issue. Which influenced his
  research and career

• As his career and education continued, his
  colleagues helped spread his work, not his name,
  
  which is the way he wanted it. Because success
  for Hinton was knowing that he helped people,
  not that he was well- known

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Louis Tompkins Wright

• Was one of Hintons students at Harvard Medical
  School

• African American surgeon and hospital
  administrator

• Became one of the most respected black
  professionals of his time

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Memberships Recognition

• American Medical Association
• American Society of Clinical Pathologists
• Society of American Bacteriologists
• American Association for the Advancement of
  Science (AAAS)
• Fellow, Massachusetts Medical Society
• In 1948, elected a lifetime member of the
  American Social Science Association in
  recognition of his achievements as a
  Distinguished scientist, leading serologists and
  public bacteriologists
• Serology Laboratory at the State Laboratory
  Institute Building of the Massachusetts
  Department of Public Health (named for him)
• The William A. Hinton Research Training Award,
  which recognizes Hinton for his great
  achievements in research. It is presented at the
  meeting of The American Society of Microbiology
  (ASM).