Dorothy Lavinia Brown
Encyclopedia
Dr. Dorothy Lavinia Brown (January 7, 1919 – June 13, 2004), also known as "Dr. D.", was an African American
surgeon
, legislator
, and teacher
. She was the first female surgeon of African American ancestry from the Southeastern United States
. She was also the first African American to serve in the Tennessee General Assembly
having been elected to the Tennessee House of Representatives
.
, and was placed in an orphanage
in Troy, New York
at 5 months old by her mother, Edna Brown, where she lived to the age of 12. While at the orphanage, she underwent a tonsillectomy
operation, an experience that led to her interest in the field of medicine
. Although her mother tried to persuade the young Dorothy to live with her, Brown kept running away from home, only to return to the Troy orphanage. Upon reaching the age of fifteen, Brown ran away to enroll at the Troy High School
. She worked as a mother's helper in the house of Mrs. W.F. Jarrett. Assisted by a principal of the school, she was introduced to Samuel Wesley and Lola Redmon, a couple who became her foster parents.
in Greensboro, North Carolina
, receiving assistance from the Women's Division of Christian Service of a Methodist Church in Troy in order to gain a scholarship
. Following college, she worked at the Rochester Army Ordnance Department in Rochester, New York
for two years. In 1941, she obtained her Bachelor of Arts
degree, and became an inspector
for a defense plant in Troy. In 1944, Brown began studying medicine at Meharry Medical College
in Nashville, finishing her internship at the Harlem Hospital in New York City
. After graduating in 1948, she became a resident at Hubbard Hospital of Meharry in 1949, despite opposition to female surgeons and having convinced the then chief surgeon, Matthew Walker, Sr.
, M.D., Brown completed her residency
in 1954.
s legalized in cases of rape
or incest
, and in expanding the already existing legally permitted abortions in cases when the "mother’s life was in danger". During her career as a politician, Brown also became involved in the passing of the Negro History Act, which required public schools in Tennessee to "conduct special programs during Negro History Week to recognize accomplishments made by African Americans".
In 1968, Brown tried to obtain a seat in the Tennessee Senate
, but lost in part due to her support for abortion law
s. In 1968, following her departure from politics, Brown returned to becoming a full-time physician
at the Riverside Hospital. Brown also acted as an attending surgeon at the George W. Hubbard and General Hospitals, as director of education for the clinical rotation program of the Riverside and Meharry Hospitals. She was also a surgery professor
at the Meharry Medical College.
.
of the American College of Surgeons
. In 1971, the Dorothy L. Brown Women's Residence at Meharry Medical College
, Nashville was named after her. She also received honorary doctorate degrees from the Russell Sage College
in Troy, New York, and also from Bennett College in Greensboro, North Carolina. In particular, she received her honorary degrees in the Humanities
from Bennett College and Cumberland University
.
Brown was a member of the board of trustees at Bennett College and of the Delta Sigma Theta
sorority. She participated as a speaker on panels that discussed scientific, religious, medical, and political issues.
African American
African Americans are citizens or residents of the United States who have at least partial ancestry from any of the native populations of Sub-Saharan Africa and are the direct descendants of enslaved Africans within the boundaries of the present United States...
surgeon
Surgeon
In medicine, a surgeon is a specialist in surgery. Surgery is a broad category of invasive medical treatment that involves the cutting of a body, whether human or animal, for a specific reason such as the removal of diseased tissue or to repair a tear or breakage...
, legislator
Legislator
A legislator is a person who writes and passes laws, especially someone who is a member of a legislature. Legislators are usually politicians and are often elected by the people...
, and teacher
Teacher
A teacher or schoolteacher is a person who provides education for pupils and students . The role of teacher is often formal and ongoing, carried out at a school or other place of formal education. In many countries, a person who wishes to become a teacher must first obtain specified professional...
. She was the first female surgeon of African American ancestry from the Southeastern United States
Southeastern United States
The Southeastern United States, colloquially referred to as the Southeast, is the eastern portion of the Southern United States. It is one of the most populous regions in the United States of America....
. She was also the first African American to serve in the Tennessee General Assembly
Tennessee General Assembly
The Tennessee General Assembly is the state legislature of the U.S. state of Tennessee.-Constitutional structure:According to the Tennessee State Constitution of 1870, the General Assembly is a bicameral legislature and consists of a Senate of thirty-three members and a House of Representatives of...
having been elected to the Tennessee House of Representatives
Tennessee House of Representatives
The Tennessee House of Representatives is the lower house of the Tennessee General Assembly, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Tennessee.-Constitutional requirements:...
.
Biography
Brown was born in Philadelphia, PennsylvaniaPhiladelphia, Pennsylvania
Philadelphia is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the county seat of Philadelphia County, with which it is coterminous. The city is located in the Northeastern United States along the Delaware and Schuylkill rivers. It is the fifth-most-populous city in the United States,...
, and was placed in an orphanage
Orphanage
An orphanage is a residential institution devoted to the care of orphans – children whose parents are deceased or otherwise unable or unwilling to care for them...
in Troy, New York
Troy, New York
Troy is a city in the US State of New York and the seat of Rensselaer County. Troy is located on the western edge of Rensselaer County and on the eastern bank of the Hudson River. Troy has close ties to the nearby cities of Albany and Schenectady, forming a region popularly called the Capital...
at 5 months old by her mother, Edna Brown, where she lived to the age of 12. While at the orphanage, she underwent a tonsillectomy
Tonsillectomy
A tonsillectomy is a 3,000-year-old surgical procedure in which the tonsils are removed from either side of the throat. The procedure is performed in response to cases of repeated occurrence of acute tonsillitis or adenoiditis, obstructive sleep apnea, nasal airway obstruction, snoring, or...
operation, an experience that led to her interest in the field of medicine
Medicine
Medicine is the science and art of healing. It encompasses a variety of health care practices evolved to maintain and restore health by the prevention and treatment of illness....
. Although her mother tried to persuade the young Dorothy to live with her, Brown kept running away from home, only to return to the Troy orphanage. Upon reaching the age of fifteen, Brown ran away to enroll at the Troy High School
Troy High School
Troy High School may refer to:*East Troy High School in East Troy, Wisconsin*Troy Area High School in Troy, Pennsylvania*Troy Buchanan High School in Troy, Missouri*Troy Christian High School in Troy, Ohio*Troy Junior-Senior High School in Troy, Idaho...
. She worked as a mother's helper in the house of Mrs. W.F. Jarrett. Assisted by a principal of the school, she was introduced to Samuel Wesley and Lola Redmon, a couple who became her foster parents.
Education
After finishing high school, while working as a domestic helper, Brown attended Bennett CollegeBennett College
Bennett College is a four-year liberal arts women's college in Greensboro, North Carolina. Founded in 1873, this historically black institution began as a normal school to provide education to newly emancipated slaves. It became a women's college in 1926 and currently serves roughly 780...
in Greensboro, North Carolina
Greensboro, North Carolina
Greensboro is a city in the U.S. state of North Carolina. It is the third-largest city by population in North Carolina and the largest city in Guilford County and the surrounding Piedmont Triad metropolitan region. According to the 2010 U.S...
, receiving assistance from the Women's Division of Christian Service of a Methodist Church in Troy in order to gain a scholarship
Scholarship
A scholarship is an award of financial aid for a student to further education. Scholarships are awarded on various criteria usually reflecting the values and purposes of the donor or founder of the award.-Types:...
. Following college, she worked at the Rochester Army Ordnance Department in Rochester, New York
Rochester, New York
Rochester is a city in Monroe County, New York, south of Lake Ontario in the United States. Known as The World's Image Centre, it was also once known as The Flour City, and more recently as The Flower City...
for two years. In 1941, she obtained her Bachelor of Arts
Bachelor of Arts
A Bachelor of Arts , from the Latin artium baccalaureus, is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate course or program in either the liberal arts, the sciences, or both...
degree, and became an inspector
Inspector
Inspector is both a police rank and an administrative position, both used in a number of contexts. However, it is not an equivalent rank in each police force.- Australia :...
for a defense plant in Troy. In 1944, Brown began studying medicine at Meharry Medical College
Meharry Medical College
Meharry Medical College, located in Nashville, Tennessee, United States, is a graduate and professional institution affiliated with the United Methodist Church whose mission is to educate healthcare professionals and scientists. Founded in 1876 as the Medical Department of Central Tennessee...
in Nashville, finishing her internship at the Harlem Hospital in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
. After graduating in 1948, she became a resident at Hubbard Hospital of Meharry in 1949, despite opposition to female surgeons and having convinced the then chief surgeon, Matthew Walker, Sr.
Matthew Walker, Sr.
Matthew Walker, Sr., was an African-American physician and surgeon. He was one of the first African Americans to become a fellow of the American College of Surgeons. He was one of the most prominent Black doctors in the 20th century in the United States.-Early life:Matthew Walker's parents were...
, M.D., Brown completed her residency
Residency (medicine)
Residency is a stage of graduate medical training. A resident physician or resident is a person who has received a medical degree , Podiatric degree , Dental Degree and who practices...
in 1954.
Career
Brown was the chief surgeon at the now-defunct Riverside Hospital in Nashville from 1957 to 1983. In 1966, she became the first African American female to be elected to the Tennessee General Assembly (known also as the Tennessee State Legislature), a position she held for two years. She almost succeeded in having abortionAbortion
Abortion is defined as the termination of pregnancy by the removal or expulsion from the uterus of a fetus or embryo prior to viability. An abortion can occur spontaneously, in which case it is usually called a miscarriage, or it can be purposely induced...
s legalized in cases of rape
Rape
Rape is a type of sexual assault usually involving sexual intercourse, which is initiated by one or more persons against another person without that person's consent. The act may be carried out by physical force, coercion, abuse of authority or with a person who is incapable of valid consent. The...
or incest
Incest
Incest is sexual intercourse between close relatives that is usually illegal in the jurisdiction where it takes place and/or is conventionally considered a taboo. The term may apply to sexual activities between: individuals of close "blood relationship"; members of the same household; step...
, and in expanding the already existing legally permitted abortions in cases when the "mother’s life was in danger". During her career as a politician, Brown also became involved in the passing of the Negro History Act, which required public schools in Tennessee to "conduct special programs during Negro History Week to recognize accomplishments made by African Americans".
In 1968, Brown tried to obtain a seat in the Tennessee Senate
Tennessee Senate
The Tennessee Senate is the upper house of the Tennessee state legislature, which is known formally as the Tennessee General Assembly.The Tennessee Senate, according to the state constitution of 1870, is composed of 33 members, one-third the size of the Tennessee House of Representatives. Senators...
, but lost in part due to her support for abortion law
Abortion law
Abortion law is legislation and common law which pertains to the provision of abortion. Abortion has been a controversial subject in many societies through history because of the moral, ethical, practical, and political power issues that surround it. It has been banned frequently and otherwise...
s. In 1968, following her departure from politics, Brown returned to becoming a full-time physician
Physician
A physician is a health care provider who practices the profession of medicine, which is concerned with promoting, maintaining or restoring human health through the study, diagnosis, and treatment of disease, injury and other physical and mental impairments...
at the Riverside Hospital. Brown also acted as an attending surgeon at the George W. Hubbard and General Hospitals, as director of education for the clinical rotation program of the Riverside and Meharry Hospitals. She was also a surgery professor
Professor
A professor is a scholarly teacher; the precise meaning of the term varies by country. Literally, professor derives from Latin as a "person who professes" being usually an expert in arts or sciences; a teacher of high rank...
at the Meharry Medical College.
Personal life
In 1956, Brown agreed to adopt a female child from an unmarried patient at the Riverside Hospital. Brown became the first known single female in Tennessee to legally adopt a child, whom she named Lola Denise Brown in honor of her foster mother. Brown was a member of the United Methodist ChurchUnited Methodist Church
The United Methodist Church is a Methodist Christian denomination which is both mainline Protestant and evangelical. Founded in 1968 by the union of The Methodist Church and the Evangelical United Brethren Church, the UMC traces its roots back to the revival movement of John and Charles Wesley...
.
Recognitions
In 1959, she became the third woman to become a fellowFellow
A fellow in the broadest sense is someone who is an equal or a comrade. The term fellow is also used to describe a person, particularly by those in the upper social classes. It is most often used in an academic context: a fellow is often part of an elite group of learned people who are awarded...
of the American College of Surgeons
American College of Surgeons
The American College of Surgeons is an educational association of surgeons created in 1913 to improve the quality of care for the surgical patient by setting high standards for surgical education and practice.-Membership:...
. In 1971, the Dorothy L. Brown Women's Residence at Meharry Medical College
Meharry Medical College
Meharry Medical College, located in Nashville, Tennessee, United States, is a graduate and professional institution affiliated with the United Methodist Church whose mission is to educate healthcare professionals and scientists. Founded in 1876 as the Medical Department of Central Tennessee...
, Nashville was named after her. She also received honorary doctorate degrees from the Russell Sage College
Russell Sage College
Russell Sage College is a women's college located in Troy, New York, approximately north of New York City in the Capital District. It is one of the three colleges that make up The Sage Colleges...
in Troy, New York, and also from Bennett College in Greensboro, North Carolina. In particular, she received her honorary degrees in the Humanities
Humanities
The humanities are academic disciplines that study the human condition, using methods that are primarily analytical, critical, or speculative, as distinguished from the mainly empirical approaches of the natural sciences....
from Bennett College and Cumberland University
Cumberland University
Cumberland University is a private university in Lebanon, Tennessee, United States. It was founded in 1842, though the current campus buildings were constructed between 1892 and 1896.-History:...
.
Brown was a member of the board of trustees at Bennett College and of the Delta Sigma Theta
Delta Sigma Theta
Delta Sigma Theta is a non-profit Greek-lettered sorority of college-educated women who perform public service and place emphasis on the African American community. Delta Sigma Theta Sorority was founded on January 13, 1913 by twenty-two collegiate women at Howard University...
sorority. She participated as a speaker on panels that discussed scientific, religious, medical, and political issues.
External links
- A photograph of Dorothy Lavinia Brown at UMC.org
- Photographs of Dorothy Lavinia Brown at findagrave.com
- A photograph of Dorothy L. Brown at AARegistry.com
- A photograph of Dr. Dorothy Lavina Brown, M.D. at nlm.nih.gov
- Another photograph of Dr. Dorothy Lavina Brown, M.D. at nlm.nih.gov