Marie Brown ( Simpson; 1883 – 22 November 1949) was a medical doctor and activist in South Australia. She was a founder of the Mothers and Babies Health Association.

Biography

Marie Simpson was born in

Nottingham Nottingham ( , East Midlands English, locally ) is a city status in the United Kingdom, city and Unitary authorities of England, unitary authority area in Nottinghamshire, East Midlands, England. It is located north-west of London, south-east ...

, England. She qualified MB, BS at the

University of London The University of London (UoL; abbreviated as Lond or more rarely Londin in post-nominals) is a federal public research university located in London, England, United Kingdom. The university was established by royal charter in 1836 as a degree ...

in 1907. In 1913, she was awarded a Diploma in Public Health at

Sheffield University , mottoeng = To discover the causes of things , established = – University of SheffieldPredecessor institutions: – Sheffield Medical School – Firth College – Sheffield Technical School – University College of Sheffield , type = Pu ...

. She arrived in South Australia on the ''Mongolia'' on 13 November 1914. She married Dr. Gilbert Brown (14 August 1883 – 1960) that same day, and for a time lived and worked at Snowtown. They had a son Ian on 29 May 1917 and lived for a while at

Strangways Terrace Strangways Terrace is a street in North Adelaide, South Australia. It is the southwestern boundary between the built environment and the Adelaide parklands including the Adelaide Golf Links. Strangways Terrace is named after Thomas Bewes Stran ...

North Adelaide North Adelaide is a predominantly residential precinct and suburb of the City of Adelaide in South Australia, situated north of the River Torrens and within the Adelaide Park Lands. History Surveyor-General Colonel William Light of the colo ...

, then at 31 Watson Avenue, Rose Park for a few years. They settled at 36 Walkerville Terrace, Gilberton. Brown had a strong empathy with public health and women's and children's welfare organizations. She became involved with the School for Mothers (later the Mothers and Babies Health Association) in 1920, and for many years served as their honorary medical officer, deputy Chief Medical Officer and director of their ante-natal clinic. She was particularly known for her lectures on children's health. She was also honorary medical officer of the Kindergarten Union and a member of the National Council of Women. In 1922, she stood unsuccessfully as a candidate for the City Council's MacDonnell Ward, under the auspices of the Women's Non-Party Association (later the

League of Women Voters The League of Women Voters (LWV or the League) is a nonprofit, nonpartisan political organization in the United States. Founded in 1920, its ongoing major activities include registering voters, providing voter information, and advocating for vot ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Brown, Marie 1883 births 1949 deaths Australian women medical doctors Australian medical doctors British emigrants to Australia