Centenary Year of Dr Stanley Browne

Leprosy Mailing List – February 16th, 2008
Ref.: Centenary Year of Dr Stanley Browne
From: Browne D., Brockenhurst, Hampshire, UK

Dr Stanley George Browne CMG OBE MD FRCS FRCP AKC
Secretary Treasurer ILA 1966-1984
Organiser of 4 International Leprosy Congresses (London 1968, Bergen 1973, Mexico 1978, New Delhi , 1984)

Dr Derek Browne, Dr Stanley Browne’s son gave a paper on the centenary of Dr Stanley Browne at the 17th International Congress in Hyderabad 2008.

Dr Stanley Browne would have been 100 years old on December 8th 2007. He was born on 8 December 1907 and died on World Leprosy day 29 January 1986 . His wife Mali Browne also died on World Leprosy Day 29 January 2006.

Their gravestone is in Brockenhurst, Hampshire , UK .

The conference week included World Leprosy Day.

The other reason for promoting the Centenary year is that most of Dr Stanley Browne’s writings, articles and papers from childhood to his death are now archived in the Wellcome Library in London in 70 boxes. These archives can be accessed on the web, from the Wellcome library or under Dr Stanley Browne’ name, and may be viewed at the Wellcome Library in London . The records contain many case notes of patients treated for Leprosy, in the pre and post Dapsone era in the former Belgian Congo 1936-59, research on B663 (Clofazamine) and other anti-leprosy drugs in Nigeria 1959-66 and his time as Director of the Leprosy Study Centre in the UK.

Dr Stanley Browne wanted to be a medical missionary from the age of 5. He studied Medicine at Kings College Hospital London and obtained most of the medical school prizes. He combined house appointments with postgraduate study and became a member Royal College of Physicians London in 1934 and Fellow of the Royal College of Surgeons in 1935. He was accepted by The Baptist Missionary Society (BMS) for work in the Belgian Congo (now the Democratic Republic of Congo). Browne studied French and Tropical medicine at the Institute de Médecine Tropicale Prince Leopold Antwerp obtaining a Diploma in Tropical Medicine in 1936 before travelling to the Congo .

1936-1959 BMS Yakusu Belgian Congo
Stanley arrived at the BMS Hospital at Yakusu in 1936. He was a General Physician, General Surgeon, General Paediatrician and Obstetrician. He also worked on trypanosomiasis and onchocerciasis and obtained his MD for his studies on the control of onchocerciasis. He identified that the larvae of Simulium Damnosum the fly in the life cycle of the onchercera volvulus was under crab shells in areas of fast flowing water. He treated the water with DDT, which killed the larvae and not the crabs, or fish. River blindness was then controlled in the neighbouring area as a result of this work. His rural surveys showed a high incidence of Leprosy in fact in one area around Kombe district over 50% of the population had leprosy. He endeavoured to find the cause and cure for Leprosy. He helped build a Leprosarium across the river from the hospital at Yalisombo. The Belgian Government allowed the medical school to train nurses to the Belgian standard if the hospital oversaw the medical needs of the population, which covered an area of over 10,000 square miles. Browne developed programmes of community care using 18 health centres and 36 treatment centres which he and his team visited regularly. These pioneering programmes became a model in Africa for the WHO for the control of endemic diseases.
1936-1946. Pre Dapsone era. Leprosy Control was essential. Diagnosis was made during rural surveys and it was the older members of the community who could diagnose the ‘bad’ leprosy.

The standard treatment at the time was isolation of the patients and segregation from their communities. The isolation village across the river at the Yalisombo was used with treatment with injections of Chaulmoogra oil. Browne grew Chaulmoogra trees and produced the oil.
1946-1959. Dapsone era Samples of Dapsone arrived from American Leprosy Missions to the BMS at Yakusu. But who would volunteer to take this new medication for Leprosy? One trusted Christian trained infermier who contracted Lepromatous leprosy agreed to be the first ‘Human guinea pig’. His lepromatous lesions disappeared and his bacterial leprosy index fell, he was cured. Many new patients now arrived at Yalisombo and as many as 2000 were resident at one time. Special ‘Grateful Samaritan Services’ were organised to give cured patients certificates, saying they were free of Leprosy. In 1958 Fred Zinnerman filmed the leprosy scene for the film ‘the Nuns Story’ at Yalisombo. Stanley helped with these arrangements and the stars of the film Audrey Hepburn, Peggy Ashcroft and Peter Finch took part in a ‘Grateful Samaritan service. Later Audrey Hepburn worked as director of UNICEF having been motivated to help children having seen the leprosy patients at Yalisombo.

1959-1966 Stanley was director of the Leprosy Research Unit Uzuakoli, Eastern Nigeria . Clofazamine era with low Dapsone treatment. Stanley succeeded Dr Frank Davey at Uzuakoli. His main interest was now research. He studied low dose Dapsone, Isorilone, Avosulphone, Nialamide, Oxaoralen and other drugs. His major work was with B663 (Clofazamine), which started in 1960 with co-operation from the Medical Research Council of Ireland in a pilot study of 6 patients. Three patients also received standard doses of Dapsone. Geigy found production costs very expensive and were going to stop manufacture of B663. Stanley was able to persuade Geigy later Ciba Geigy and now Novartis to produce this drug. See Browne and Hogerzeil ‘B663’ in the treatment of Leprosy Review (1962) 33 6 and Leprosy Review (1962) 33 182. There were also contributions by Stanley at the V111 ILA Congress in Rio de Janeiro in 1963 on drugs and drug trials in Leprosy. He contributed to a chapter on the Differential Diagnosis of Leprosy in the book ‘Leprosy in Theory and Practice’ Ed Cochrane and Davey 1963.

In the Introduction to the 1964 annual report of the Leprosy Research Unit Uzuakoli, Stanley mentions that Leprosy was almost controlled but external vigilance was still necessary. Stanley suggested that Leprosy services should be integrated into the General Medical Services both in diagnostic and treatment aspects. He research on low dose Dapsone was also very encouraging. Stanley presented these initial findings with B663 at a symposium in London 1968 organised by the makers GEIGY and at the International Leprosy Congress in London , which he organised in 1968. Three Articles on B663 were published in Leprosy Review 1965 vol 36 pages, 9-11, 13-15,17-20.

During 1966 he visited Ethiopia representing the International Society of Rehabilitation of the Disabled and the American Leprosy Missions to assess the suitability of Addis Ababa as a centre for training medical and paramedical workers in rehabilitation for leprosy and other crippling diseases and conditions. This was the start of the ALERT Ethiopia project.
Director of Leprosy Research Unit later Study Centre UK . International Leprosy Control 1966-1986. Browne’s outstanding skill in leprosy was in great demand throughout the world, and his many advisory roles included Consultant Advisor in Leprosy to the Department of Health and Social Security, 1966-79 and Medical Consultant to the Leprosy Mission 1966-1978. He was also involved in numerous leprosy organizations including LEPRA as their medical secretary 1968-1973 and was vice president 1984-1986. He was appointed International Leprosy Association secretary treasurer from 1966-1984 taking over from Dr Ross Innes. He was appointed Honarary Vice President of the ILA from 1984-1986. He was Medical Consultant to the Leprosy Mission 1966-1978. His contributions to tropical medicine were recognised by many awards including the British Medical Associations Stewart Prize for Dermatology in 1975; the Calcutta School of Tropical Medicine JN Chaudry gold medal 1978; Fellowship of Kings College Medical School (first recipient) 1978. He was awarded the CMG and OBE and the Chevalier de l’Ordre du Lion form King Leopold 11. Officer de l’Ordre de Leopold 11 1958 and Commander de l’Ordre de Leopold 11 in 1980. He became President of the Royal Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene 1977-1979.

He received the Damien Dutton award in 1979 with an oration from President Carter of the USA . In 1979 he was the first non-Japanese recipient of the Nihon Kensho-Kai special appreciation award. In 1984 he received the Knight of the Military and Hospitaller Order of St Lazarus of Jerusalem . He was also president of the International Association of Physicians for the Overseas Services. He encouraged many medical students to take an interest in Leprosy Research, immunology, dermatology, genetics and molecular biology.

His Christian contributions to world missions are exhaustive. He was President of the Baptist Union 1980-1981 and President of the International Congress of Christian Physicians 1982-1986 and preached to many people and organisations around the world. Stanley had an audience with Pope John and Pope Paul at the Vatican . He organised his last ILA Congress in New Delhi 1984, which was presided over by Mrs India Gandhi Prime Minister of India and included Madam Teresa from Calcutta .

Dr Stanley Browne died on world Leprosy day 29 January 1986 after a short illness. He was given the Title of Mr Leprosy and Phyllis Thompson who wrote a book about him called ‘Mr Leprosy’. Sylvia and Peter Duncan wrote ‘Bonganga’ after Stanley appeared on the television programme ‘In Town Tonight’ in 1957. Peter Duncan interviewed him. Nancy Martin wrote a schoolbook on his life called ‘ Battle against leprosy’.

The Centenary year for Dr Stanley Browne began at the ILA Congress Hyderabad January 29 – February 3 2008 . Stanley Browne was a remarkable man who was committed to studying leprosy. He was involved in the Pre Dapsone, Post Dapsone and B663 eras and the start of MDT. He advised over 60 governments around the world on Leprosy Control Programmes. He was influential in integrating leprosy into the general medical services as early as 1962 and tried to remove the stigma of leprosy around the world by promoting Human rights. His motto was ‘ Observe, Record and Publish’. His archives are a tribute to his life’s work. His life is a challenge to us all interested in the eradication of leprosy from the world.

Dr Derek Browne February 2008