Isaac Baker Brown (1812 – 3 February 1873) was a prominent 19th-century English

gynaecologist Gynaecology or gynecology (see American and British English spelling differences) is the area of medicine concerned with conditions affecting the female reproductive system. It is often paired with the field of obstetrics, which focuses on pre ...

and obstetrical

surgeon In medicine, a surgeon is a medical doctor who performs surgery. Even though there are different traditions in different times and places, a modern surgeon is a licensed physician and received the same medical training as physicians before spec ...

. He had a reputation as a specialist in the diseases of women and advocated certain surgical procedures, including clitoridectomies, as cures for

epilepsy Epilepsy is a group of Non-communicable disease, non-communicable Neurological disorder, neurological disorders characterized by a tendency for recurrent, unprovoked Seizure, seizures. A seizure is a sudden burst of abnormal electrical activit ...

and

hysteria Hysteria is a term used to mean ungovernable emotional excess and can refer to a temporary state of mind or emotion. In the nineteenth century, female hysteria was considered a diagnosable physical illness in women. It is assumed that the bas ...

. In 1867, his career ended when he was accused of performing these procedures without consent of the patients. He was subsequently expelled from the Obstetrical Society of London.

Biography

Early life

Baker Brown was born in 1811 in

Colne Engaine Colne Engaine is a village and a civil parish in Essex, England, situated just north of the River Colne and of the larger village of Earls Colne, approximately ten miles northwest of Colchester. The village takes its name from the river, aro ...

, Essex.Roy His parents were farmer Isaac Baker Brown, and Catherine (née Boyer), the daughter of a schoolmaster. He went to school in

Halstead Halstead is a town and civil parish in the Braintree District of Essex, England. Its population of 11,906 in 2011 He studied at

Guy's Hospital Guy's Hospital is an NHS hospital founded by philanthropist Thomas Guy in 1721, located in the borough of Southwark in central London. It is part of Guy's and St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust and one of the institutions that comprise the Kin ...

, London and specialised in

midwifery Midwifery is the health science and health profession that deals with pregnancy, childbirth, and the postpartum period (including care of the newborn), in addition to the sexual and reproductive health of women throughout their lives. In many cou ...

and diseases of women. He married Anne Rusher Barron on 18 June 1833, in

Colchester Colchester ( ) is a city in northeastern Essex, England. It is the second-largest settlement in the county, with a population of 130,245 at the 2021 United Kingdom census, 2021 Census. The demonym is ''Colcestrian''. Colchester occupies the ...

, Essex. Following Anne's death he married his second wife, Catherine Read, on 21 May 1863.

Career

Baker Brown opened a medical practice in

Connaught Square Connaught Square in London, England, was the first garden square, square of terraced house, city houses to be built in Bayswater. It is named after a royal, the Prince William Frederick, Duke of Gloucester and Edinburgh, Earl of Connaught who ...

, London in 1834 and soon became known as a specialist in gynaecology. In 1845, he was one of the founders of

St Mary's Hospital, London St Mary's Hospital is a teaching hospital in Paddington, in the City of Westminster, London, founded in 1845. Since the UK's first academic health science centre was created in 2008, it has been operated by Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust ...

. He was elected a

Fellow A fellow is a title and form of address for distinguished, learned, or skilled individuals in academia, medicine, research, and industry. The exact meaning of the term differs in each field. In learned society, learned or professional society, p ...

of the

Royal College of Surgeons The Royal College of Surgeons is an ancient college (a form of corporation) established in England to regulate the activity of surgeons. Derivative organisations survive in many present and former members of the Commonwealth. These organisations ...

in 1848.Sheehan, p. 326 In 1858 he founded the London Surgical Home for Women and worked on advancing surgical procedures. He began to perform ovariotomies on women, including his own sister. In 1864, he was the first person to describe a surgical treatment for

stress incontinence Stress incontinence, also known as stress urinary incontinence (SUI) or effort incontinence is a form of urinary incontinence. It is due to inadequate closure of the bladder outlet by the urethral sphincter. Pathophysiology Stress incontinence i ...

involving a

suprapubic cystostomy A suprapubic cystostomy or suprapubic catheter (SPC) (also known as a vesicostomy or epicystostomy) is a surgically created connection between the urinary bladder and the skin used to drain urine from the bladder in individuals with obstruction ...

procedure. He was elected president of the

Medical Society of London Medicine is the science and practice of caring for patients, managing the diagnosis, prognosis, prevention, treatment, palliation of their injury or disease, and promoting their health. Medicine encompasses a variety of health care pr ...

in 1865. In 1866, Baker Brown described the use of

clitoridectomy Clitoridectomy or clitorectomy is the surgical removal, reduction, or partial removal of the clitoris. It is rarely used as a therapeutic medical procedure, such as when cancer has developed in or spread to the clitoris. Commonly, non-medical rem ...

as a cure for several conditions, including

catalepsy Catalepsy (from Ancient Greek , , "seizing, grasping") is a neurological condition characterized by muscular rigidity and fixity of posture regardless of external stimuli, as well as decreased sensitivity to pain. Signs and symptoms Sympt ...

and

mania Mania, also known as manic syndrome, is a Psychiatry, psychiatric Abnormality (behavior), behavioral syndrome defined as a state of Abnormality (behavior), abnormally elevated arousal, affect (psychology), affect, and energy level. During a mani ...

, which he attributed to

masturbation Masturbation is a form of autoeroticism in which a person Sexual stimulation, sexually stimulates their own Sex organ, genitals for sexual arousal or other sexual pleasure, usually to the point of orgasm. Stimulation may involve the use of han ...

.Fennell, p. 66 In ''On the Curability of Certain Forms of Insanity, Epilepsy, Catalepsy, and Hysteria in Females'', he gave a 70 per cent success rate using this treatment. During 1866, Baker Brown began to receive negative feedback from within the medical profession from doctors who opposed the use of clitoridectomies, and questioned the validity of Baker Brown's claims of success. An article appeared in ''

The Times ''The Times'' is a British Newspaper#Daily, daily Newspaper#National, national newspaper based in London. It began in 1785 under the title ''The Daily Universal Register'', adopting its modern name on 1 January 1788. ''The Times'' and its si ...

'' in December, which was favourable towards Baker Brown's work but suggested that Baker Brown had treated women of unsound mind. The London Surgical Home was not licensed for this under the Lunacy Act and when the Lunacy Commission began to ask questions, Baker Brown denied it and tried to distance himself from the article.Fennell, p. 69 He was also accused of performing clitoridectomies without the

consent Consent occurs when one person voluntarily agrees to the proposal or desires of another. It is a term of common speech, with specific definitions used in such fields as the law, medicine, research, and sexual consent. Consent as understood i ...

or knowledge of his patients or their families. In 1867 he was expelled from the Obstetrical Society of London for carrying out the operations without consent.Vergnani Baker Brown's career did not recover and he died on 3 February 1873 in London, following a year spent as an invalid.

Bibliography

*1854: ''On some Diseases of Women Admitting of Surgical Treatment'' *1866: ''On the Curability of Certain Forms of Insanity, Epilepsy, Catalepsy, and Hysteria in Females''

Footnotes

References

* * * * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Brown, Isaac Baker 1812 births 1873 deaths 19th-century English medical doctors English gynaecologists English surgeons Medical controversies in the United Kingdom People from Braintree District