Dr John Stuart Brown, a pioneering GP who performed more than 20,000 minor surgeries during his career, has died. He was attached to the Thornhills Medical Practice at Martin Square in Larkfield from 1961 until his retirement in 2000, by which time he was the managing partner.
During the 1980s, Dr Brown pioneered the concept of GPs performing minor surgeries in their clinics, easing pressure on NHS hospital waiting lists. He lobbied Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher on the subject, and in 1990, the NHS General Practitioners Contract encouraged GPs to undertake more of their own operations.
In 1984, Dr Brown wrote a book, Minor Surgery, A Text and Atlas, which ran to five editions and was a global bestseller for more than 30 years. The book was based on a series of articles he had published in The Pulse medical journal and was admired for its clarity and practical approach.
Born in February 1935 in Bradford, Dr Brown trained at King’s College Hospital in London, graduating with honours in 1959. After house surgical posts in various specialties, he worked at the Royal Alexandra Children’s Hospital in Brighton, where he met his wife Anne, a nurse. They moved to Aylesford when he joined the Larkfield practice in 1961.
Dr Brown also served as a divisional surgeon for the St John Ambulance Brigade and was admitted as an Officer Brother of the Order in 1994. After retirement, he and Anne spent six months providing medical care in Zambia. In 2012, they moved to Ponteland, near Newcastle-upon-Tyne, to be near their two sons.
His son Nick described him as “a kind and genial dad, always very proud of his children and grandchildren.” Dr Brown is survived by his wife Anne, their three children Nick, Geoff and Hilary, and six grandchildren.
