Thomas McPherson Brown
Encyclopedia
Thomas McPherson Brown (1906-1989) was a renowned rheumatologist who, over a medical career spanning 50 years, pioneered antibiotic treatments for rheumatoid arthritis
, scleroderma
, lupus
and other collagen diseases.
He used them to treat over ten thousand patients, often inducing remission in their disease.
Brown graduated from Swarthmore College
as a Phi Beta Kappa. He then attended Johns Hopkins Medical School. He did his medical residency also at Johns Hopkins. Subsequently, he did research at the Rockefeller Institute
in NY. This research led Brown to conjecture a link between rheumatoid arthritis and cell wall deficient bacteria called mycoplasma
s. Exploring that link would inspire the rest of his medical career. Work positions held by Brown after he left the Rockefeller Institute: Assistant Professor of Medicine at Johns Hopkins School of Medicine; Director of Arthritis Research at the Veterans Administration Hospital in Washington, D.C.; Professor of Medicine at George Washington School of Medicine in Washington D.C.; Department Chairman at the same university; Doctor at the Arthritis Institute of the National Hospital for Orthopedics and Rehabilitation. Brown stopped teaching at George Washington University in 1970, in order to join the Arthritis Institute of the National Hospital for Orthopedics and Rehabilitation. Thereafter he devoted himself full time to both researching the cause of Rheumatoid Arthritis, and treating patients with the disease. Brown was also a member of the following institutions: American College of Rheumatology (of which he was one of the founding members), Arthritis Foundation (of which he was a Trustee).
During his lifetime, Brown published in medical journals approximately 100 papers about rheumatoid arthritis. In 1988, one year before his death, he published, in collaboration with Henry Scammell, a book entitled The Road Back. In 1993, Mr. Scammell published a book entitled The New Arthritis Breakthrough. This second book expands on The Road Back (it includes a reprint of The Road Back). Both books give many testimonials of people who believe they were saved by Brown's treatment. A video documentary featuring Brown explaining his treatment is available on the internet.
Throughout his long career, Brown fought an uphill battle to get the beneficial effects of his antibiotic treatments recognized by the medical establishment. This uphill battle is documented in the popular media
The Road Back Foundation (www.roadback.org) was founded to continue the work of Brown.
Since McPherson's death several high quality clinical trials have demonstrated that long term use of several tetracyclines delivers significant improvement in many patients with rheumatoid arthritis. These trials have recently been summarised by Stone at Toronto Western University.
Rheumatoid arthritis
Rheumatoid arthritis is a chronic, systemic inflammatory disorder that may affect many tissues and organs, but principally attacks synovial joints. The process produces an inflammatory response of the synovium secondary to hyperplasia of synovial cells, excess synovial fluid, and the development...
, scleroderma
Scleroderma
Systemic sclerosis or systemic scleroderma is a systemic autoimmune disease or systemic connective tissue disease that is a subtype of scleroderma.-Skin symptoms:...
, lupus
Lupus erythematosus
Lupus erythematosus is a category for a collection of diseases with similar underlying problems with immunity . Symptoms of these diseases can affect many different body systems, including joints, skin, kidneys, blood cells, heart, and lungs...
and other collagen diseases.
He used them to treat over ten thousand patients, often inducing remission in their disease.
Brown graduated from Swarthmore College
Swarthmore College
Swarthmore College is a private, independent, liberal arts college in the United States with an enrollment of about 1,500 students. The college is located in the borough of Swarthmore, Pennsylvania, 11 miles southwest of Philadelphia....
as a Phi Beta Kappa. He then attended Johns Hopkins Medical School. He did his medical residency also at Johns Hopkins. Subsequently, he did research at the Rockefeller Institute
Rockefeller University
The Rockefeller University is a private university offering postgraduate and postdoctoral education. It has a strong concentration in the biological sciences. It is also known for producing numerous Nobel laureates...
in NY. This research led Brown to conjecture a link between rheumatoid arthritis and cell wall deficient bacteria called mycoplasma
Mycoplasma
Mycoplasma refers to a genus of bacteria that lack a cell wall. Without a cell wall, they are unaffected by many common antibiotics such as penicillin or other beta-lactam antibiotics that target cell wall synthesis. They can be parasitic or saprotrophic. Several species are pathogenic in humans,...
s. Exploring that link would inspire the rest of his medical career. Work positions held by Brown after he left the Rockefeller Institute: Assistant Professor of Medicine at Johns Hopkins School of Medicine; Director of Arthritis Research at the Veterans Administration Hospital in Washington, D.C.; Professor of Medicine at George Washington School of Medicine in Washington D.C.; Department Chairman at the same university; Doctor at the Arthritis Institute of the National Hospital for Orthopedics and Rehabilitation. Brown stopped teaching at George Washington University in 1970, in order to join the Arthritis Institute of the National Hospital for Orthopedics and Rehabilitation. Thereafter he devoted himself full time to both researching the cause of Rheumatoid Arthritis, and treating patients with the disease. Brown was also a member of the following institutions: American College of Rheumatology (of which he was one of the founding members), Arthritis Foundation (of which he was a Trustee).
During his lifetime, Brown published in medical journals approximately 100 papers about rheumatoid arthritis. In 1988, one year before his death, he published, in collaboration with Henry Scammell, a book entitled The Road Back. In 1993, Mr. Scammell published a book entitled The New Arthritis Breakthrough. This second book expands on The Road Back (it includes a reprint of The Road Back). Both books give many testimonials of people who believe they were saved by Brown's treatment. A video documentary featuring Brown explaining his treatment is available on the internet.
Throughout his long career, Brown fought an uphill battle to get the beneficial effects of his antibiotic treatments recognized by the medical establishment. This uphill battle is documented in the popular media
The Road Back Foundation (www.roadback.org) was founded to continue the work of Brown.
Since McPherson's death several high quality clinical trials have demonstrated that long term use of several tetracyclines delivers significant improvement in many patients with rheumatoid arthritis. These trials have recently been summarised by Stone at Toronto Western University.