Born in South Africa on 1 August 1918, youngest son of Hyman Brunow, merchant, and his wife, née Maister, he was educated at South African College School, Cape, and the University of Cape Town. After serving as house surgeon at Groote Schuur Hospital, he went on active service with the South African Medical Corps in the Middle East and Italy during the war of 1939-45. Towards the end of the war he served at Wynberg Military Hospital, Cape. He came to England in 1946 and was appointed a clinical assistant in the genito-urinary department at Guy's Hospital. He served as demonstrator of anatomy, was appointed an additional surgical registrar on the senior surgeon's firm, and took the Fellowship in 1949. He then spent two and a half years as surgical registrar at Lewisham Hospital. Determining to specialise in thoracic surgery, he worked at the Brompton Hospital under Sir Russell Brock and Oswald Tubbs. He was appointed to the Brook Hospital, but developed leukaemia and died after several months' illness on 20 November 1954 aged 36. He was not married. Brunow was Captain of the Guy's Rugby Football Club in 1947, when his XV won the Hospitals Cup for the first time in fourteen years. He also played cricket, squash rackets, lawn tennis, and golf. He had great vitality, energy and ability, which should have taken him to success. He was widely popular and a keen amateur of music.