﻿XXV111 
  

  

  THOMAS 
  GBEGOB 
  BEODLE, 
  1866-1916. 
  

  

  The 
  death 
  of 
  Prof. 
  Brodie 
  occurred 
  on 
  Sunday, 
  August 
  20,1916. 
  His 
  sudden 
  

   end 
  was 
  totally 
  unexpected 
  by 
  his 
  friends. 
  He 
  was 
  subject 
  to 
  attacks 
  of 
  

   gout, 
  and 
  he 
  experienced 
  one 
  which 
  was 
  not 
  of 
  a 
  severe 
  character 
  during 
  the 
  

   week 
  preceding 
  his 
  death, 
  but 
  sitting 
  up 
  in 
  bed 
  on 
  the 
  Sunday 
  morning 
  and 
  

   feeling 
  better, 
  he 
  was 
  seized 
  with 
  heart 
  failure 
  and 
  expired 
  within 
  a 
  few 
  

   minutes. 
  

  

  He 
  was 
  the 
  second 
  son 
  of 
  the 
  late 
  Alexander 
  Brodie, 
  Vicar 
  of 
  Grandborough, 
  

   and 
  was 
  born 
  at 
  Northampton 
  in 
  1866, 
  so 
  when 
  he 
  died 
  he 
  was 
  just 
  over 
  50 
  

   years 
  of 
  age, 
  in 
  the 
  prime 
  of 
  life, 
  and 
  at 
  the 
  zenith 
  of 
  his 
  intellectual 
  power. 
  

   The 
  tragedy 
  is 
  intensified, 
  for 
  the 
  victim 
  was 
  one 
  of 
  the 
  most 
  original 
  and 
  

   gifted 
  of 
  our 
  company 
  of 
  Physiologists. 
  

  

  He 
  received 
  his 
  education 
  at 
  King's 
  College 
  School, 
  whence 
  he 
  proceeded 
  

   to 
  St. 
  John's 
  College, 
  Cambridge, 
  but 
  after 
  being 
  there 
  a 
  year 
  or 
  so 
  he 
  decided 
  

   to 
  make 
  medicine 
  his 
  career, 
  and 
  chose 
  King's 
  College, 
  London, 
  as 
  his 
  school. 
  

   There 
  and 
  at 
  King's 
  College 
  Hospital 
  he 
  was 
  one 
  of 
  a 
  band 
  of 
  exceptionally 
  

   brilliant 
  students, 
  several 
  of 
  whom 
  are 
  now 
  on 
  the 
  staff 
  of 
  that 
  hospital, 
  and 
  

   among 
  them 
  Brodie 
  was 
  the 
  leading 
  spirit 
  in 
  both 
  work 
  and 
  play. 
  He 
  carried 
  

   off 
  the 
  principal 
  prizes 
  the 
  College 
  had 
  to 
  offer, 
  and 
  would 
  have 
  proved 
  

   eminently 
  successful 
  in 
  any 
  branch 
  of 
  medicine 
  he 
  had 
  chosen 
  to 
  take 
  up. 
  

   His 
  choice, 
  however, 
  fell 
  on 
  Physiology, 
  and 
  after 
  he 
  had 
  taken 
  his 
  M.D. 
  at 
  

   the 
  University 
  of 
  London, 
  he 
  was 
  appointed 
  Principal 
  Assistant 
  to 
  the 
  

   Professor 
  of 
  that 
  subject 
  in 
  King's 
  College 
  in 
  1890. 
  He 
  subsequently 
  became 
  

   Senior 
  Demonstrator 
  at 
  the 
  London 
  Hospital, 
  a 
  post 
  which 
  he 
  soon 
  relin- 
  

   guished 
  for 
  the 
  Lectureship 
  in 
  Physiology 
  at 
  St. 
  Thomas's 
  Hospital 
  to 
  which 
  

   he 
  was 
  elected 
  when 
  Dr. 
  Sherrington 
  became 
  Professor 
  at 
  Liverpool. 
  A 
  few 
  

   years 
  after 
  this 
  he 
  received 
  the 
  Directorship 
  of 
  the 
  Laboratories 
  of 
  the 
  Royal 
  

   College 
  of 
  Physicians 
  and 
  Surgeons 
  on 
  the 
  Embankment. 
  He, 
  therefore, 
  

   gave 
  up 
  active 
  teaching 
  and 
  his 
  new 
  post 
  was 
  one 
  which 
  specially 
  suited 
  his 
  

   capabilities 
  and 
  temperament. 
  Whilst 
  there 
  he 
  gathered 
  round 
  him 
  a 
  band 
  

   of 
  workers 
  whom 
  he 
  inspired 
  with 
  his 
  energy 
  and 
  contagious 
  enthusiasm, 
  and 
  

   the 
  research 
  work 
  issuing 
  from 
  his 
  laboratory 
  was 
  not 
  only 
  large 
  in 
  quantity 
  

   but 
  of 
  the 
  highest 
  quality 
  and 
  value. 
  A 
  few 
  years 
  later 
  a 
  fit 
  of 
  economy 
  

   seized 
  the 
  Eoyal 
  Colleges, 
  and 
  they 
  decided 
  to 
  give 
  up 
  this 
  valuable 
  but 
  

   expensive 
  branch 
  of 
  activity, 
  so 
  that 
  Brodie 
  for 
  a 
  time 
  was 
  without 
  a 
  post. 
  

   This 
  did 
  not 
  last 
  long, 
  for 
  within 
  a 
  few 
  months 
  he 
  received, 
  almost 
  simul- 
  

   taneously 
  three 
  new 
  appointments, 
  viz. 
  : 
  — 
  The 
  Professorship 
  of 
  Physiology 
  at 
  

   the 
  Eoyal 
  Veterinary 
  College, 
  the 
  Lectureship 
  on 
  the 
  same 
  subject 
  at 
  the 
  

   London 
  School 
  of 
  Medicine 
  for 
  Women, 
  and 
  the 
  office 
  of 
  Professor- 
  

   Superintendent 
  of 
  the 
  Brown 
  Institution 
  under 
  the 
  University 
  of 
  London. 
  

   This 
  pluralism 
  was 
  necessary, 
  for 
  all 
  posts 
  were 
  badly 
  paid, 
  and 
  even 
  a 
  com- 
  

   bination 
  of 
  any 
  two 
  would 
  have 
  been 
  insufficient 
  to 
  provide 
  a 
  living 
  wage. 
  

  

  