The Brown Animal Sanatory Institution—Historical Lessons for the Present?

This article briefly reviews the history of the Brown Institution (1871–1944), a remarkable but short-lived and now largely forgotten veterinary centre of research and clinical practice. As well as providing a broad-based clinical service for the surrounding area of London, the Brown Institution was also the home of some of the most distinguished contributors to comparative medicine and physiology. Many of its aspirations, achievements and difficulties are relevant and comparable to those faced by the profession today.