OBITUARY Dr. C. M. Bevan-Brown

Press, Volume CVI, Issue 31306, 28 February 1967, Page 18

OBITUARY Dr. C. M. Bevan-Brown

Dr. Charles Maurice BevanBrown, who died in Christchurch yesterday, had a distinguished career in medicine, particularly in psychiatry. He was 82. He was educated at the Christchurch Boys’ High School, where his father was headmaster, and was prominent in sport He won a scholarship to College House, and in 1908 graduated B.A. from Canterbury University College and returned to his old school as a master. He did honours work in moral science at Canterbury University College and then went to Emmanuel College, Cambridge, where in 1912 he took honours in the natural science tripos and an M.A. degree with second class honours. He returned to New Zealand after a year teaching in England and was a master at Wanganui Collegiate School. As a soldier in the New Zealand Army Medical Corps in Egypt in 1915 he decided to become a doctor, and after the war went to the Otago University, from which he graduated M. 8., Ch.B., in 1921. While he was a house surgeon at the Christchurch Public Hospital he won a travelling scholarship to Britain, and there studied psychotherapy. He was associated with a comparatively new branch of medicine in Britain for a number of years before returning to New Zealand in 1940 to set up a private prac-

■ tice in psychological medicine . in Christchurch. He was responsible for the formation of the Mental • Health Club in 1942, and the i club later became the Christchurch Psychological Society. Dr. Bevan-Brown main- ' tained his interest in educa--1 tion and in 1945 was ap- > pointed chairman of the New ■ Education Fellowship. It was his suggestion in I 1947 which led to a conferi ence of psychotherapists in ■ Christchurch. From it the I New Zealand Association of Psychotherapists was formed, i with Dr. Bevan-Brown as its ' first president. i Towards the end of the Sec- , ond World War, when it be- ■ came apparent that a clinic I would be needed to treat war ■ neurosis cases, Dr. Bevan- • Brown was appointed medical r director of a clinic designed ; to treat returned servicemen. He was the author of sev- • eral publications, the best known being “The Sources of r Love and Fear” (1951), and ; “Mental Health and PersonI ality Disorder” (1961). r Dr. Bevan-Brown was a i lover of the outdoors. He i climbed extensively in the . Southern Alps and Switzer- ■ land, and for many years . maintained as a hobby 30 . acres of native bush at Kowal. , His work there was recog- . nised by the award of the I Bledisloe Medal for 1961 by F the New Zealand Forest and i Bird Protection Society. , Dr. Bevan-Brown is suri vlved by his wife and two . daughters.