John Brown FRSE FRCPE (22 September 1810 – 11 May 1882) was a Scottish physician and essayist known for his three-volume Horae Subsecivae (Leisure Hours, 1858), containing essays and papers on art, medical history and biography.

Brown subsequently acquired a large medical practice in Edinburgh at a time when infectious diseases took a heavy toll of life.

His first writing was in response to a request for contributions to the notices of paintings exhibited by the Royal Scottish Academy.

His writings were philosophical, classical, artistic, medical, of rural life, the Jacobite Rebellion, notable characters, humble folk and canine friends.

Brown was revered and beloved to uncommon degree, and he was the cherished friend of many distinguished contemporaries, including Thackeray.

Among those whose writing he encouraged was Henrietta Keddie, then a schoolgirl in Leith, who would become a prolific novelist and writer for children.

[4] In the mingling of tenderness and delicate humour, Brown has much in common with Lamb; in his insight into dog-nature he is unique.