F.N. (or F. W.) Dimock Brown, medical practitioner and naturalist, was a licentiate of the Royal College of Physicians of London, and a member of the Royal College of Surgeons of England. He resided in Estcourt, Natal, for some time before 1897. In 1899 he resigned as acting district surgeon of Estcourt. Meanwhile, from 1898 to at least 1900 he was associated with Hilton College, a well-known English medium school for boys near Pietermaritzburg. He joined the South African Philosophical Society in 1897 and was still a member in 1900.

In 1897 Brown collected some plants in Natal. Specimens from Karkloof and Port Shepstone are in the Natal Herbarium. He was also interested in other aspects of natural history, for during 1898 he consulted the insect collection of the South African Museum in Cape Town. In or before 1902 "Dr Dimock Brown" also observed mimicry in insects at Malvern, Natal, in the company of G. A. K. Marshall*.

List of sources:

Cape of Good Hope. Report of the trustees of the South African Museum, 1898, p. 2.

Gunn, M. & Codd, L.E. Botanical exploration of southern Africa. Cape Town: Balkema, 1981.

Marshall, G. A. K. Convergent groups of South African Hemiptera. Transactions of the Entomological Society of London, 1902, Vol. 50, pp. 237-238. https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/item/48243

Natal almanac, directory and yearly register, 1900, pp. 698-699: Registered medical practioners whose addresses are unknown.

National Automated Archival Information Retrieval System (NAAIRS). http://www.national.archives.gov.za/naairs.htm Documents relating to Dr Dimock Brown.

South African Medical Directory for 1897. Cape Town: Cape Times, 1897.

South African Philosophical Society. Transactions, 1898-1900, Vol. 10-11, lists of members.

Compiled by: C. Plug

Last updated: 2023-10-20 10:11:07