Author: Glenn

Volume 9 Issue 4

Written by Glenn on October 22, 2025. Posted in Volume 9.

Charles Dickens, The Royal Veterinary College and the Veterinary Profession Charels Dickens lived in Camden Town from the age of ten. He mentions the Veterinary College in two of his novels, including a reference to the cruelty of live vivisection being carried out by students. Dickens had an interest in animals and became a great supported of the RSPCA. R J M Franklin To the Pillory for Putrid Poultry; Meat Hygiene and the Medieval London Butchers, Poulterers and...

Volume 9 Issue 2 & 3

Written by Glenn on October 22, 2025. Posted in Volume 9.

A Short History of the British Army Veterinary Services William Gibson, following a military career, was in veterinary charge of military horses in London in the mid-eighteenth century. William Stockley, one of the first diplomates of the London Veterinary College, was the first qualified vet to join the army in a veterinary capacity and became senior veterinary surgeon to the Royal Artillery. After the disastrous Flanders Campaign of 1794-95, resulting in appalling losses of...

Volume 9 Issue 1

Written by Glenn on October 22, 2025. Posted in Volume 9.

The Mayers of Newcastle-under-Lyme and Their Place in the Emerging Veterinary Profession A history of the Mayer family of Newcastle-under-Lyme, two generations of farriers and two of veterinary surgeons. Thomas Walton Mayer qualified form the London Veterinary College in 1835. He and his father led a campaign to break the grip of medical men on London Veterinary College, headed by Coleman. After Coleman’s death in 1839, the Mayers wrote to all 700 graduates of the London...

Volume 8 Issue 3 & 4

Written by Glenn on October 22, 2025. Posted in Volume 8.

The Weybridge Veterinary Laboratory During the Second World War A personal account of the author of working at the Weybridge Veterinary Laboratory during the Second World War. An outline of working there before the war and the staffing at the start of the war. Various bombing raids in London and near the Laboratory are described. Veterinary research carried on throughout the war, with the aim to prevent any outbreaks of any notifiable diseases. Sulphonamide drugs were becoming...

Volume 8 Issue 1 & 2

Written by Glenn on October 22, 2025. Posted in Volume 8.

The Struggle for the Charter of the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons, 1844 The granting of the Royal Charter in 1844 was the culmination of a long struggle to gain recognition of veterinary surgery as a profession. The struggle began in 1840 but the roots go back to the beginning of veterinary education. Edward Coleman became principal of The London Veterinary College in 1794 and remained in the post until he died in 1839. He had temporarily reduced the veterinary course...

Volume 7 Issue 4

Written by Glenn on October 22, 2025. Posted in Volume 7.

British Colonial Africa, with Special Reference to the Colonial Veterinary Service 1944-64 Personal reminiscences of the author, K W Aspinall, of his time dealing with the Rinderpest outbreak in Tanganyika from 1944. Aspinall was later appointed as Deputy Director of Veterinary Services in Nyasaland in 1954 and remained until independence and the creation of Malawi n 1964. He reflects on colonial government of this time. K W Aspinall Le Mareschal Expert, par Seu N...

Volume 7 Issue 3

Written by Glenn on October 22, 2025. Posted in Volume 7.

A Glimpse at the Canadian Army Veterinary Corps The Canadian Army Veterinary Corps (CAVC/RCAVC) existed as a specific military group from 1910-1940, although there had been vets in the Canadian Army since 1872, with the first veterinary officers from 1887.The veterinary corps provided a valuable service during The Great War and ‘Royal’ was added to their title in recognition of this – RCAVC. During The Great War, there were Mobile Veterinary sections to gather ill and injured...

Volume 7 Issue 2

Written by Glenn on October 22, 2025. Posted in Volume 7.

Veterinary History Journals, Past and Present A brief review and list of journals of veterinary history published around the world, past and present. A W Johnson The Scrapbooks of the Simmonds Collection at the Royal Veterinary College James Beart Simmonds was professor of cattle pathology at RVC, chief inspector and veterinary advisor to the Privy Council and president of the RCVS. He produced nine scrapbooks and many smaller bound compilations of journal reports...

Volume 7 Issue 1

Written by Glenn on October 22, 2025. Posted in Volume 7.

Thomas Burgess of Odiham and Veterinary Science The role of the Agricultural Society in the Hampshire town of Odiham in the bringing to the fore the need for improvement in the treatment of animals has long been recognised. Thomas Burgess was a fellow of Corpus Christi College. Oxford. He was not involved in agriculture but his brother was a farmer in Odiham. He attended many meetings of the Society and took a great interest in the campaign for improvements in farriery and in...

Volume 6 Issue 4

Written by Glenn on October 22, 2025. Posted in Volume 6.

Veterinary History on Stamps Descriptions and Illustrations of veterinary surgeons depicted on postage stamps. R D Locke Youatt and Brunel In 1831 a famous first edition of the book ‘The Horse with a Treatise on Draught’ was published. Two of the contributors were William Youatt, the distinguished veterinary surgeon and Isambard Kingdom Brunel, the eminent engineer. T K Ewer Situation Frightful but not Necessarily Fatal. Rabies in 18th Century England ...