Aloysius Oliver Joseph Kelly

Background

Aloysius Oliver Joseph Kelly was born on June 13, 1870 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States, the son of Dr. Joseph V. and Emma Jane (Ferguson) Kelly. As a boy he was a quiet and industrious student.

Education

At eighteen Kelly received the degree of Bachelor of Arts from LaSalle College in Philadelphia and three years later, in 1891, he obtained his degree as Doctor of Medicine from the University of Pennsylvania.

Career

In 1891 Kelly became a resident physician at St. Agnes' Hospital, Philadelphia, and entered upon his medical career. In 1892 he went abroad where he worked assiduously for two years, spending part of his time in London, Dublin, Prague, and Heidelberg, but chiefly in Vienna. It was in these clinics and laboratories that he laid the foundation for the work that he later produced. Here also his ability won him both the interest and friendship of Franz Chvostek, Anton Weichselbaum, and many others.

His career as a teacher began with his return to Philadelphia in 1894, when he was appointed recorder in the medical dispensary of the hospital of the University of Pennsylvania. From that time on his promotion in that institution was consistent and rapid. He was made instructor in physical diagnosis in 1896 and by 1906 had become assistant professor of medicine, occupying that position until the time of his death.

As a clinical teacher in the University Kelly became closely associated with Dr. John H. Musser, for many years acting as his chief of clinic and, when occasion required, serving as his substitute. Kelly's teaching was not confined to one institution. In 1900 he was appointed professor of the theory and practice of medicine in the University of Vermont. In 1906 he was appointed to the chair of pathology in the Woman's Medical College of Pennsylvania.

His chief scientific interest lay in pathology, and it was in this field that some of his most enduring original work was done. In 1894 he became pathologist to St. Agnes' Hospital and the following year director of the laboratories of the Philadelphia Polyclinic. In a few years he relinquished these positions to become pathologist to the German Hospital. Here, in association with the surgical clinic of Dr. John B. Deaver, he had the opportunity to study an enormous amount of pathological material, especially in relation to diseases of the appendix, the liver, and the gall bladder. It was in this laboratory that he collected the data that enabled him to prepare several of his contributions: his Mutter Lecture, "Infections of the Biliary Tract, " delivered before the College of Physicians of Philadelphia in 1905; his article on the "Nature and Lesions of Cirrhosis of the Liver, " published in the American Journal of the Medical Sciences (December 1905); and the chapter on diseases of the liver, gall bladder, and bile ducts which he contributed to William Osler's Modern Medicine.

From the beginning of his medical career, Kelly took a deep interest in the literary aspects of medicine. He wrote with facility and developed a convincing yet graceful literary style. From 1903 to 1907 he edited International Clinics and in the latter year he became editor of the American Journal of the Medical Sciences. Shortly before his death he completed a text-book, Practice of Medicine (1910) based upon his own wide clinical experience and extensive pathological observations. At the time of his death he had completed, in association with Dr. Musser, two volumes of a composite four-volume work entitled A Handbook of Practical Treatment (1911 - 1917).

At the time of his death Kelly had been physician to St. Agnes' Hospital since 1897 and assistant physician to the University hospital since 1899. Those who came in contact with him as his patients became aware of his rare medical judgment and therapeutic skill. His premature death, coming at a time when his intellectual powers and professional attainments were reaching their height, deprived the medical profession of a truly great physician and teacher.

Achievements

• Few American physicians have occupied a more influential or distinguished position in the field of medical literature than did Kelly. He never sought a large private practice. His interests centered chiefly about the library, the laboratory, and the clinic. He introduced modern methods of clinical teaching in medicine and helped to formulate the policies of the medical school. He contributed to medical journals and during his life wrote many articles and some educational books on the subject of medicine, all of which bore the mark of painstaking preparation.

Works

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• book

  • A Handbook of Practical Treatment, by Many Writers Volume 2

    (This work has been selected by scholars as being cultural...)

  • A Handbook of Practical Treatment, by Many Writers Volume 1

    (This work has been selected by scholars as being cultural...)

  • The Practice of Medicine; A Guide to the Nature, Discrimination and Management of Disease

    ( This work has been selected by scholars as being cultur...)

Connections

Kelly married on October 30, 1897, Elizabeth Morrison McKnight of Philadelphia.

Father:

Joseph V. Kelly

Mother:

Emma Jane (Ferguson) Kelly

Spouse:

Elizabeth Morrison McKnight