Fred Brown: 31 January 1925 - 20 February 2004

Fred Brown was a major figure in British and international virology during most of the latter half of the twentieth century. He brought to the subject a rigorous and critical attitude acquired during his early training in chemistry. In addition, he was passionately interested in the practical application of his work and that of others to the prevention and alleviation of disease. He always believed that his research would make a significant contribution to the welfare of agricultural livestock. He is best known for his pioneering work on foot-and-mouth disease virus, the causative agent for the most important disease of domestic livestock globally. However, he also made seminal contributions to the study of many other viruses of veterinary importance.