Joseph Brownlee was of Irish descent; his father, J J Brownlee, who died in 1928, came from Northern Ireland and was one of the earliest doctors in Christchurch; his mother's maiden name was McKee. Brownlee received his early education at Waitaki Boys High School; he kept a great interest in his old school and became Dominion President of the Old Boys Association. He qualified from Otago Medical School in 1926; while there he developed considerable prowess at running and hurdling, and at one stage the Otago record for the 100 yards was held jointly by Brownlee and Arthur Porritt. In 1927 he became a house surgeon at Auckland Hospital and then came to England where he stayed for seven years holding various surgical appointments and obtaining his Fellowship in 1934. In 1935 he returned to Christchurch and was appointed assistant surgeon to the genito-urinary department of Christchurch Hospital. In 1940, early in the second world war, he came to England as one of several surgeons from Commonwealth countries to be trained in plastic surgery by Sir Harold Gillies; he returned to New Zealand through the Middle East, where he spent several months observing the requirements of a plastic unit dealing with war casualties. Then at Burwood Hospital, Christchurch he set up the first plastic unit in New Zealand. Brownlee was senior surgeon at this plastic unit 1942-1955. From 1955 to 1966, when he retired from practice, he carried on his plastic work at various private hospitals and in addition visited Invercargill and Dunedin in a consultant capacity. In 1946 he was elected to the North Canterbury Hospital Board and served on it until 1957. He was also chairman of the building committee of the Princess Margaret Hospital. An important part of Brownlee's life was his annual holiday camp on the shores of Lake Hawea; the fishing there was excellent and he became an expert fly-fisherman; each camp lasted for several weeks and about twenty people were generally present. At these camps he fed, sheltered and entertained not only his friends but many widows, orphans and underprivileged people at his own generous expense. Brownlee was a keen Mason, who thought deeply about religion and politics. In 1966 Brownlee retired from medicine because of failing health and for the last few years of his life he was confined to a chair. He died at his home on 1 November 1972 in his 71st year. His wife, son and daughter survived him. His son J J Brownlee qualified in medicine but gave up practice for farming; his daughter married M T Milliken and practised surgery at Christchurch.