Isaac Baker Brown
Encyclopedia
Isaac Baker Brown was a prominent 19th century English
gynaecologist and obstetrical
surgeon
. A specialist in gynaecology and the diseases of women, he was an advocate of the use various surgical procedures including the clitoridectomy
as a cure for epilepsy
and hysteria
. His career was later damaged when he was accused of performing these procedures without the consent of his patients and was expelled from the Obstetrical Society of London.
, Essex
. His parents were farmer Isaac Baker Brown, and Catherine (née Boyer), the daughter of a schoolmaster. He went to school in Halstead
, Essex, and became an apprentice to a surgeon called Gibson. He studied at Guy's Hospital
, London and specialised in midwifery
and diseases of women. He married Anne Rusher Barron on 18 June 1833, in Colchester
, Essex. Following Anne's death he married his second wife, Catherine Read, on 21 May 1863.
, 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. He was elected a Fellow
of the Royal College of Surgeons
in 1848. 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
which involved a suprapubic cystotomy procedure. He was elected president of the Medical Society of London
in 1865. In 1866 Baker Brown described the use of clitoridectomy
as a cure for several conditions including epilepsy
, catalepsy
and mania
, which he attributed to masturbation
. 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
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. He was also accused of performing clitoridectomies without the consent
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.
Baker Brown's career did not recover and he died on 3 February 1873 in London following a year of invalidity.
English people
The English are a nation and ethnic group native to England, who speak English. The English identity is of early mediaeval origin, when they were known in Old English as the Anglecynn. England is now a country of the United Kingdom, and the majority of English people in England are British Citizens...
gynaecologist and obstetrical
Obstetrics
Obstetrics is the medical specialty dealing with the care of all women's reproductive tracts and their children during pregnancy , childbirth and the postnatal period...
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...
. A specialist in gynaecology and the diseases of women, he was an advocate of the use various surgical procedures including the clitoridectomy
Clitoridectomy
Clitoridectomy is the surgical removal of the clitoris. It is rarely needed as a therapeutic medical procedure, such as when cancer has developed in or spread to the clitoris...
as a cure for epilepsy
Epilepsy
Epilepsy is a common chronic neurological disorder characterized by seizures. These seizures are transient signs and/or symptoms of abnormal, excessive or hypersynchronous neuronal activity in the brain.About 50 million people worldwide have epilepsy, and nearly two out of every three new cases...
and hysteria
Hysteria
Hysteria, in its colloquial use, describes unmanageable emotional excesses. People who are "hysterical" often lose self-control due to an overwhelming fear that may be caused by multiple events in one's past that involved some sort of severe conflict; the fear can be centered on a body part, or,...
. His career was later damaged when he was accused of performing these procedures without the consent of his patients and was expelled from the Obstetrical Society of London.
Early life
Baker Brown was born in 1811 in Colne EngaineColne 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. The village takes its name from the river, around which it is likely that the earliest settlements were made, and the Engaine family, who were the...
, Essex
Essex
Essex is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in the East region of England, and one of the home counties. It is located to the northeast of Greater London. It borders with Cambridgeshire and Suffolk to the north, Hertfordshire to the west, Kent to the South and London to the south west...
. His parents were farmer Isaac Baker Brown, and Catherine (née Boyer), the daughter of a schoolmaster. He went to school in Halstead
Halstead
Halstead is a town and civil parish located in Braintree District of Essex, England, near Colchester and Sudbury. It has a population of 11,053. The town is situated in the Colne Valley, and originally developed on the hill to the north of the river...
, Essex, and became an apprentice to a surgeon called Gibson. He studied at Guy's Hospital
Guy's Hospital
Guy's Hospital is a large NHS hospital in the borough of Southwark in south east London, England. It is administratively a part of Guy's and St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust. It is a large teaching hospital and is home to the King's College London School of Medicine...
, London and specialised in midwifery
Midwifery
Midwifery is a health care profession in which providers offer care to childbearing women during pregnancy, labour and birth, and during the postpartum period. They also help care for the newborn and assist the mother with breastfeeding....
and diseases of women. He married Anne Rusher Barron on 18 June 1833, in Colchester
Colchester
Colchester is an historic town and the largest settlement within the borough of Colchester in Essex, England.At the time of the census in 2001, it had a population of 104,390. However, the population is rapidly increasing, and has been named as one of Britain's fastest growing towns. As 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 SquareConnaught Square
Connaught Square, in the City of Westminster , was the first square of city houses to be built in the Bayswater area. It was named after the Duke of Gloucester , who had a house nearby. The current appearance of the square dates from the 1820s. The square is just north of Hyde Park, and to the west...
, 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. He was elected a Fellow
Fellow
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 Royal College of Surgeons
Royal College of Surgeons of England
The Royal College of Surgeons of England is an independent professional body and registered charity committed to promoting and advancing the highest standards of surgical care for patients, regulating surgery, including dentistry, in England and Wales...
in 1848. 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
Stress incontinence is a form of urinary incontinence.Stress urinary incontinence , also known as effort incontinence, is due essentially to insufficient strength of the pelvic floor muscles.-Pathophysiology:...
which involved a suprapubic cystotomy procedure. He was elected president of the Medical Society of London
Medical Society of London
The Medical Society of London is one of the oldest surviving medical societies in the United Kingdom ....
in 1865. In 1866 Baker Brown described the use of clitoridectomy
Clitoridectomy
Clitoridectomy is the surgical removal of the clitoris. It is rarely needed as a therapeutic medical procedure, such as when cancer has developed in or spread to the clitoris...
as a cure for several conditions including epilepsy
Epilepsy
Epilepsy is a common chronic neurological disorder characterized by seizures. These seizures are transient signs and/or symptoms of abnormal, excessive or hypersynchronous neuronal activity in the brain.About 50 million people worldwide have epilepsy, and nearly two out of every three new cases...
, catalepsy
Catalepsy
Catalepsy is also a term used by hypnotists to refer to the state of making a hypnotised subject's arm, leg or back rigid. "Arm catalepsy" is often a pre-hypnotic test performed prior to an induction into a full trance.-Causes:...
and mania
Mania
Mania, the presence of which is a criterion for certain psychiatric diagnoses, is a state of abnormally elevated or irritable mood, arousal, and/ or energy levels. In a sense, it is the opposite of depression...
, which he attributed to masturbation
Masturbation
Masturbation refers to sexual stimulation of a person's own genitals, usually to the point of orgasm. The stimulation can be performed manually, by use of objects or tools, or by some combination of these methods. Masturbation is a common form of autoeroticism...
. 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
The Times is a British daily national newspaper, first published in London in 1785 under the title The Daily Universal Register . The Times and its sister paper The Sunday Times are published by Times Newspapers Limited, a subsidiary since 1981 of News International...
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. He was also accused of performing clitoridectomies without the consent
Consent
Consent refers to the provision of approval or agreement, particularly and especially after thoughtful consideration.- Types of consent :*Implied consent is a controversial form of consent which is not expressly granted by a person, but rather inferred from a person's actions and the facts and...
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.
Baker Brown's career did not recover and he died on 3 February 1873 in London following a year of invalidity.