Dr Allan Scrimgeour Brown

Personal Details

Dr Allan Scrimgeour Brown  FFARCS MB ChB DA (RCP&S)

02/06/1919 to 26/05/2018

Place of birth: Edinburgh, Scotland

Nationality: British

CRN: 715763

Education and qualifications

Professional life and career

Postgraduate career

Dr Allan Scrimgeour Brown was an early pioneer in the formation of neuro-anaesthesia as a subspecialty. Having graduated from Edinburgh University Medical School, his first post was as a House Surgeon at Leith Hospital in 1941. This was followed by a short locum position as a House Physician at the Edinburgh Royal Hospital for Sick Children in 1942 and a period as a General Practitioner and Anaesthetist in Alloa.

In October 1942 he started his war time military service,  initially with general duties with the RAMC,  later  becoming a specialist anaesthetist and leaving  with the rank of Major. From June 1947 to March 1948 he had an “anaesthetist class III” appointment at Edinburgh University. From March 1948 to August 1950 he worked as anaesthetic resident at Bangour Hospital in West Lothian. In September 1950 he was appointed as a consultant at the  Department of Surgical Neurology in Edinburgh where he worked for the next 34 years, retiring from clinical practice in June 1984.

Professional interests and activities

In the early 1950s and early  1960s several centres for neuro surgery existed in Great Britain and a number of anaesthetists specialised, however the meetings and conferences  at this time did not provide  the desired academic rigour for those practising their art. Dr Brown as Honorary Secretary of  the (as then named) Association of Anaesthetists of Edinburgh, organised six-monthly meetings to fill this gap. In 1965 Professor Hunter, another early pioneer of neuro-anaesthesia, invited the Scottish anaesthetists including Dr Brown to an inaugural  conference in Manchester. Dr Brown, as an invited lecturer,  gave a presentation about the management of status epilepticus. From this meeting developed the Neurosurgical Anaesthetists Travelling Club in which he continued to play an important role as Rotating Chairman. He also served as President of the (by then renamed) Edinburgh and East of Scotland Society of Anaesthetists in 1968-69. During his career he also developed interests in the management of intractable pain and was an early member of both national and international societies. He acted as chair or president at several national and international conferences during his career. He was involved with numerous publications and book chapters over the years; in his personal submission Dr Brown states he had over 150 published papers.     

Other biographical information

Allan’s interests ouside of medicine included, photography, hill walking, skiing, sailing, some geology and archeology and looking after his garden. He passed away in Edinburgh in 2018 at the age of 98yrs. He married Alison in 1945 who predeceased him in 2008. He had three sons and one daughter.  

Author and sources

Author:

Dr Innes Simon Chadwick

Sources and comments:

Information obtained from Allan’s self submitted biographical college “Boulton Form” dated 1988.

The History of Anaesthesia Society Proceedings 2018 Vol 51 p14-16 

GMC Register 1942 accessed on line Ancestry.com February 2022

Biographical information confirmed Ancestry.com (accessed February 2022).