Brislington was a home and a medical practise for three generations of the Brown family. The house was lived and working in from 1857 to 1949, a total of 92 years.
Over that time the world of the hospital, health care and the profession of doctor and surgeon changed and advanced a great deal.
In the early days of the colony the Colonial Medical Service (CMS) medically served the people of NSW and Australia. Thus the appointment of Colonial Surgeons: 1788-1795 Principal Surgeon John White, 1796-1805 Principal Surgeon William Balmain, 1805-1811 Principal Surgeon Thomas Jamison, 1811-1819 Principal Surgeon D’Arcy Wentworth, 1819-1836 Principal Surgeon (Inspector of Colonial Hospitals) James Bowman, and in-between 1836-1848 Military Rule –Deputy Inspector General of Hospitals, John Vaughan Thompson and William Dawson.
This started to change with the settlement of other parts of the colony and the discovery of gold in 1851. However, because of the small and sparse population private practise developed slowly until the mid 1800’s. In NSW there was 284 registered medical practitioners in 1850 but this had increased to 691 by 1892.
The doctors at Brislington, Walter Brown, Walter Sigismund Brown and Keith Brown, three generations of medical professionals were general practitioners, pioneers and a very significant part of the lives of the people of Parramatta. To this, the house at Brislington took on a sanctity, as did the Brown family. To give some of the role and importance of the doctor in Parramatta’s past let us turn to a tribute to Walter Brown written in 1897.
“A family physician occupies a peculiar positon in a community. He may be conveniently polite and professionally attentive; but he can’t help being if his be worthy of his post at all, bound to hundreds of homes by tender ties connected with births and deaths and with the most sacred times of affliction and anguish….the doctor is a very central figure in a bright picture of hope and.. …they may be professional giants; they may give days and nights consecutively of toil and study and of the hardest of hard work….that kindly, self-possessed strong spirit that come just when every avenue of relief seemed blocked by despair and coming brought skill and knowledge and confidence…and to the loving watchers, relief.”
The Brown family practised at Brislington for ninety-two years. Over that time, there were many changes in their profession, advancements as well as the prevalence of mortality from illness and conditions not seen as much today. In between 1871-1880 in Victoria, there were 6.4 deaths in 1000 live births and still 6.0 in 1901-1905. For a physician like Walter Brown who was believed to have delivered in up to 4000 babies this must have been a present fear. Cancer mortality rates were also high in NSW in between 1856-1860 and later in the 19th century. Doctors like the Browns would treat many of these patients at home. Accidents and acts of violence as well as heart disease, rheumatism, VD and tuberculosis were also problems seen in hospitals. General Practitioners like the Browns who also assisted at Parramatta Hospital, the Gaol and Asylums would see many of these conditions, as well as the need for further care for patients at Brislington. The Browns, particularly Walter Brown rode to rural areas, often in the company of Sigismund, his wife to treat patients in more isolated areas.
Brislington would have been a place that needed to embrace new ways of working, new science as well as the care and kindness the Browns were known for. This included:
- Pioneering work by Doctor Pringle and Walter Brown in the area of Listers antisepsis practises. This lead to more successful operations on female patients who needed ovariotomies. These were carried out at homes, in Brislington and Parramatta Hospital by Dr Brown. Dr Walter Brown was considered a pioneer and leader in his field in this area.
- The discovery of antiseptic would have also be revolutionary in everyday medical practise.
- The effects of measles epidemics on the community during the 1860’s.
- The compulsory notification of infectious disease cases.
- The early use of vaccines for typhoid and smallpox, as well as contending with outbreaks of those same diseases, plus problems with diphtheria.
- The more common use of Nitric Oxide as an anesthetic.
- The use of salicylic acid and then aspirin in the management of pain.
- The continuing prescription of a healthy diet, exercise and the benefits of clean air and environment.
There had been cases of diphtheria in Parramatta in the late 1890’s directly connected to open drains near North Parramatta’s school rooms and headmasters home. The headmaster at the time was William Swann and four of the children were made very ill. The care of the doctors at Brislington would have assisted in the recovery of those who were taken sick. The discovery of the connection between hygienic sanitation and disease became better known during the mid 1800’s.
The Browns were also known for the service to the less fortunate in the Parramatta community. As seen here from Walter Browns obituary:
“Dr Brown’s acts of noble charity were preformed silently and unseen of the busy world around him. Hundreds would testify to the kindness and largeness of his heart to the innumerable acts of unrewarded service. His close connection with the Parramatta District Hospital was as it were a connecting link between those services to the poor and need on his daily round and those who were compelled to see the protection of the public institution.”
“how the physician brought to the aid of the suffering weaker ones not only cheer and love but advice when no question of pay was to be thought of, and, in addition to that, medical comforts”
The respect and warmth felt for Walter “Sigi” Brown in his service is also seen in his obituary below:
“To pay a tribute to one who was long and honourably associated with this town, one given to good works; one who in his younger days took a very active interest in everything that concerned the welfare of this district. …his is one of a generation of men who have ministered to the medical need of this community with distinction, commanding the respect of all.”
The Browns practised medicine in Parramatta up into the 1940’s. At this time, towards the end of the Browns practise at Brislington what was it like to be a doctor.
Doctors during this era had most likely experienced the First World War, and Keith Brown had. He had been a medical officer in France and spent time working in a hospital in London. He had trained at Sydney University and then in Paris after the war, returning to practise at Brislington and in Macquarie Street, Sydney.
This was time, “when patients were told what they had to do by the doctor and they were expected to do what they were told” Medical Practitioners lived very busy lives, many working in hospitals, Parramatta hospital for example as well as seeing patients at their surgery and they there was house calls. Not many patients had a motor vehicle or telephones and distances travelled by doctors were still great. Medicines such as penicillin was available in the 1940’s but still very expensive. The general practioner would provide some medicines at their surgeries, as pharmacies were only in large urban areas. It was a time of growing scientific discoveries as well as pressures experienced from the World Wars and the Depression.
Emma Stockburn, Research Facilitator, Parramatta Heritage Center, City of Parramatta, 2021
References
DR. WALTER BROWN. (1897, June 5). The Cumberland Free Press (Parramatta, NSW : 1895 - 1897), p. 6. Retrieved June 3, 2021, from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article144445483
DEATH OF Dr. WALTER BROWN (1897, December 18). The Cumberland Argus and Fruitgrowers Advocate (Parramatta, NSW : 1888 - 1950), p. 12. Retrieved June 3, 2021, from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article85767408
The Development of Parramatta Hospital as a Medical Centre (1948, August 4). The Cumberland Argus and Fruitgrowers Advocate (Parramatta, NSW : 1888 - 1950), p. 8. Retrieved June 3, 2021, from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article105738462
DR. W. S. BROWN (1936, December 17). The Cumberland Argus and Fruitgrowers Advocate (Parramatta, NSW : 1888 - 1950), p. 23. Retrieved June 3, 2021, from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article104698868
HISTORIC BUILDING SAFE BRISLINGTON (1937, November 25). The Cumberland Argus and Fruitgrowers Advocate (Parramatta, NSW : 1888 - 1950), p. 1. Retrieved June 3, 2021, from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article106151158
History of General Practice:
https://www.racgp.org.au/the-racgp/history/history-of-general-practice
Medicine in Colonial Australia: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/264165325_Medicine_in_colonial_Australia_1788-1900
Colonial Surgeons: https://www.health.nsw.gov.au/about/history/Publications/h-surgeons.pdf
Medical Pioneers: http://www.medicalpioneers.com/colonial.htm#14
History of General Practice in Australia: http://gp.org.au/history.html