Francis J Browne (1879-1963): A Biography

By: Herbert E Reiss

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Synopsis: Francis James Browne is remembered as the foremost obstetrician of his day. He is widely recognised as the founder of modern antenatal care. His book, Antenatal and Postnatal Care, became the best of its kind and a bible to many generations of medical students and junior obstetricians. FJ (as he was universally known) was born in Ireland, the fourth of eight children of a County Donegal farmer. He qualified in medicine in Scotland in 1906 and worked for 13 years as a general practitioner in a mining town in Wales. At the age of 39, he took up obstetrics and became assistant to JW Ballantyne in Edinburgh. In 1926, he was appointed Professor of Obstetrics and Gynaecology at University College Hospital, London, where he became renowned for his outstanding teaching and inspirational leadership. He was one of the Founding Fellows of the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists and was awarded the Blair-Bell Medal for his significant contribution to the specialty in 1960. In this biography, Herbert Reiss presents a fascinating glimpse into the life of a great man in a deft and vivid portrait.