Sir Walter Langdon-Brown (13 August 1870 – 3 October 1946) was a British medical doctor and writer.

Biography

He was born in

Bedford Bedford is a market town in Bedfordshire, England. At the 2011 Census, the population of the Bedford built-up area (including Biddenham and Kempston) was 106,940, making it the second-largest settlement in Bedfordshire, behind Luton, whilst ...

, the son of the Rev. John Brown of Bunyan's Chapel, Bedford and his wife, Ada Haydon Ford (1837–1929). His mother was a niece of

John Langdon Down John Langdon Haydon Down (18 November 1828 – 7 October 1896) was a British physician best known for his description of the genetic condition now known as Down syndrome, which he originally classified in 1862. He is also noted for his work in ...

, describer of

Down syndrome Down syndrome or Down's syndrome, also known as trisomy 21, is a genetic disorder caused by the presence of all or part of a third copy of chromosome 21. It is usually associated with physical growth delays, mild to moderate intellectual dis ...

. His sister was Florence Ada Keynes, the social reformer, wife of

John Neville Keynes John Neville Keynes ( ; 31 August 1852 – 15 November 1949) was a British economist and father of John Maynard Keynes. Biography Born in Salisbury, Wiltshire, Keynes was the child of John Keynes (1805–1878) and his wife Anna Maynard Neville ...

and mother of

John Maynard Keynes John Maynard Keynes, 1st Baron Keynes, ( ; 5 June 1883 – 21 April 1946), was an English economist whose ideas fundamentally changed the theory and practice of macroeconomics and the economic policies of governments. Originally trained in ...

(see

Keynes family The Keynes family ( ) is an English family that has included several notable economists, writers, and actors, including the economist John Maynard Keynes. Family tree of modern Keynes family History The English surname Keynes is d ...

). He was educated at

Bedford School :''Bedford School is not to be confused with Bedford Girls' School, Bedford High School, Bedford Modern School, Old Bedford School in Bedford, Texas or Bedford Academy in Bedford, Nova Scotia.'' Bedford School is a public school (English indep ...

and

St. John's College, Cambridge St John's College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge founded by the Tudor matriarch Lady Margaret Beaufort. In constitutional terms, the college is a charitable corporation established by a charter dated 9 April 1511. The ...

. He served as an army doctor in the

Second Boer War The Second Boer War ( af, Tweede Vryheidsoorlog, , 11 October 189931 May 1902), also known as the Boer War, the Anglo–Boer War, or the South African War, was a conflict fought between the British Empire and the two Boer Republics (the Sout ...

and

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

. He worked at

St Bartholomew's Hospital St Bartholomew's Hospital, commonly known as Barts, is a teaching hospital located in the City of London. It was founded in 1123 and is currently run by Barts Health NHS Trust. History Early history Barts was founded in 1123 by Rahere (died ...

with Samuel Gee, and later at the Metropolitan Free Hospital, London. He was the author of a number of medical textbooks, a lecturer at the

Royal College of Physicians The Royal College of Physicians (RCP) is a British professional membership body dedicated to improving the practice of medicine, chiefly through the accreditation of physicians by examination. Founded by royal charter from King Henry VIII in 1 ...

, and went on to become Regius Professor of Physic at the

University of Cambridge , mottoeng = Literal: From here, light and sacred draughts. Non literal: From this place, we gain enlightenment and precious knowledge. , established = , other_name = The Chancellor, Masters and Schola ...

. He was knighted on his retirement in 1935. The Langdon-Brown lectureship at the Royal College of Physicians was founded in his memory in 1950 by a gift from his second wife, Lady Freda Langdon-Brown.

Selected publications

''The Practitioner's Encyclopaedia of Medical Treatment''
(with J. Keogh Murphy, 1915)
''Physiological Principles in Treatment''
(1915)
''The Sympathetic Nervous System in Disease''
(1920)

References

* * * *

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Langdon-Brown, Walter 1870 births 1946 deaths 20th-century English medical doctors Regius Professors of Physic (Cambridge) Alumni of St John's College, Cambridge Knights Bachelor People educated at Bedford School Presidents of the History of Medicine Society