Brown, Thomas Graham

Reference HB132
Dates of Creation 1959-2014
Name of Creator Brown, Thomas Graham (British engineer : b.1933)
Language of Material English
Physical Description 9 metres

Scope and Content

Own publications and lectures;
Files, including technical drawings and circuit diagrams, relating to: early work on ultrasound; later work on three-dimensional ultrasound; health and safety work in industry; patents and intellectual property; repetitive strain injuries amongst sonographers; and the history of ultrasound

Administrative / Biographical History

Tom Brown was born in Glasgow in 1933 and educated at Allan Glen's School.  He became a Member of the Institute of Electrical Engineers.
He started work with Kelvin and Hughes in 1951 and was soon moved to their Research and Development Department where his early work was with marine navigation. 
In 1956 he started working with Ian Donald and John MacVicar on the development of ultrasound, using an industrial flaw detector designed by Kelvin and Hughes.  When the manufacture of medical ultrasound equipment moved to Nuclear Enterprises in 1967, Brown moved there. 
After initial market success in the UK, Nuclear Enterpises failed to keep pace with change.  In the 1970s Tom Brown moved to Sonicaid where he developed three-dimensional ultrasound equipment.  However, this was not a commercial success.
After the failure of the 3-D scanner, Tom Brown had periods of unemployment and periods of work in the railway and oil and gas sectors undertaking health and safety assessments.  Eventually he established a practice as a consulting engineer.
He received various awards in recognition of his pioneering work on ultrasound, culminating in an honorary fellowship of the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists.

Arrangement
Not yet arranged

Conditions Governing Access
Not yet determined

Acquisition Information
From Rhona Brown, 2019

Other Finding Aids
None as yet

Alternative Form Available
No known copies

Archivist's Note
Fonds level description compiled by Alistair Tough, 18 June 2019

Appraisal Information
This material has been appraised in line with standard procedures

Custodial History
Records held in Tom Brown's home prior to transfer

Accruals
None expected

Related Material
HB110 Ian Donald; HB112 British Medical Ultrasound Society

Bibliography
Nicolson, M. and Fleming, J. Imaging and imagining the fetus, Johns Hopkins University Press, 2013