Broom was first known for his study of mammal-like reptiles. After Raymond Dart's discovery of the Taung Child, an infant australopithecine, Broom's interest in palaeoanthropology was heightened. Broom's career seemed over and he was sinking into poverty, when Dart wrote to Jan Smuts about the situation. Smuts put pressure on the South African government, and managed to get a position for Broom. In 1934 he joined the staff of the Transvaal Museum in Pretoria as Assistant in Palaeontology.