David Tilden Brown (August 11, 1823 -

Greenfield, Massachusetts Greenfield is a city in and the county seat of Franklin County, Massachusetts, United States. Greenfield was first settled in 1686. The population was 17,768 at the 2020 census. Greenfield is home to Greenfield Community College, the Pioneer Val ...

– September 4, 1889 -

Batavia, Illinois Batavia () is a city mainly in Kane County and partly in DuPage County in the U.S. state of Illinois. Located in the Chicago metropolitan area, it was founded in 1833 and is the oldest city in Kane County. Per the 2020 census, the population w ...

) practiced psychiatry from 1844-1849 in various asylums in eastern United States. When gold was found in the Sierra Nevada, Brown decided to cash in and travel to Central America in 1849, planning to establish a cheaper and faster commercial route west from the Atlantic to the Pacific Oceans across the isthmus of Nicaragua. He and his associates formed the Compania de Vapores de Nicaragua, but the company eventually was absorbed by

Cornelius Vanderbilt Cornelius Vanderbilt (May 27, 1794 – January 4, 1877), nicknamed "the Commodore", was an American business magnate who built his wealth in railroads and shipping. After working with his father's business, Vanderbilt worked his way into lead ...

's American Atlantic and Pacific Ship Canal Company. Brown returned to the practice of medicine from 1852-1877. He was the medical advisor along with the architect Calvert Vaux, for plans to build the Sheppard Asylum, a modern hospital for mental patients, in

Baltimore, Maryland Baltimore ( , locally: or ) is the List of municipalities in Maryland, most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland, fourth most populous city in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, and List of United States cities by popula ...

, which opened in 1891. Brown suffered poor health and retired to his home in Batavia, Illinois. It was there that he committed suicide in 1889.

References

External links

David Tilden Brown Papers, 1841-1897
at Newberry Library
David Tilden Brown Papers, 1848-1866
at Newberry Library {{DEFAULTSORT:Brown, David Tilden 1823 births 1889 deaths American psychiatrists People from Greenfield, Massachusetts People from Batavia, Illinois