Archives West Finding Aid

Dr. Adalbert G. Bettman was born March 28, 1883, in Eugene, Oregon. He became a registered pharmacist, in both Oregon and Washington, at the age of nineteen, and later attended the University of Oregon Medical School, graduating in 1907. He was a staff member at many Portland hospitals, including Good Samaritan, Saint Vincent's, Multnomah County Hospital, Physicians and Surgeons, and Doernbecher Children's Hospital.

His interest in plastic surgery dated back to 1912, and he served as a plastic surgeon at Shriner's Hospital for Children, was a clinical associate in surgery at the Medical School, as well as maintaining a private practice in plastic surgery. For many years he was the only plastic surgeon west of St. Louis.

Dr. Bettman is best known for his many articles on plastic surgery and the treatment of burns; he developed the tannic acid-silver nitrate burn therapy. He also promoted the use of Chinosol (oxyquinolone sulphate) impregnated gauze in an article titled, " A Simpler Technic for Promoting Epithelialization and Protecting Skin Grafts," published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, December, 1931. The advent of the new technique elicited correspondence and reports of positive results from physicians around the country and in Europe, who tried his innovative methods. Aside from his medical articles, he wrote a book of short stories, How It Happened, published in 1931.

Dr. Bettman was a life member of the American Medical Association, a Diplomate of the American Board of Plastic Surgeons, a member of the Multnomah County Medical Society and the Oregon Medical Society, and belonged to many various professional and lay societies, including B'nai B'rith and the Royal Rosarians.

He was one of the organizing founders, in 1913, of the Alumni Association of the University of Oregon Medical School. He helped organize the Library at the Medical School.

Bettman was involved with establishing the first Blood Bank in Portland (with the assistance of the Royal Rosarians) in 1942. He was awarded the patent for the first sanitary (spoonless) sugar dispenser in 1914.

In 1921, Dr. Bettman married Hermine Loewy of San Francisco; she died in 1949. They had no children. Dr. Bettman died August 17, 1964, leaving numerous bequests, not only to his brother and family, secretary, and nurse, but also to many Portland area hospitals and institutions including the Congregation Beth Israel, the Robison Jewish Home, the Crippled Children's Division, and the Oregon Historical Society. He also established an education foundation, which left $1000 scholarships to each of fifty-eight children and grandchildren of friends and relatives.