Born in Haddingtonshire, Scotland, William Brown (c.1748–1792) spent his early years in Maryland, but began practicing medicine in Alexandria, Va., soon after receiving his medical degree from the University of Edinburgh in 1770. During the Revolutionary War, Brown held several appointments as a physician. In September 1776, Congress appointed him an assistant physician to Dr. William Shippen, Jr., “for the flying camp and troops in New Jersey.” Brown became surgeon general of the hospital in the middle department on 2 July 1777, and early the following year, he was named physician general in the middle department or district. He resigned this position in 1780, and returned to private practice. In addition to treating patients, Brown was also involved in the sale of medicines, drugs, and surgical instruments (see Miller, Artisans and Merchants of Alexandria, 1:50). GW's accounts with Lund Washington show that Lund paid Brown for jalap in 1783 (see Ledger B, 171, 173).  Brown, who was one of the founders of the Alexandria Academy and of the city's Sun Fire Company, was a frequent visitor to Mount Vernon before and after the Revolutionary War. He was also GW's first tenant in Alexandria, and as such, paid an annual rent of £60 (see Ledger B, 119). He moved at the end of 1785 or early 1786 to another house in town.