Volume 3 Archives - The Veterinary History Society UK

Volume 3 Issue 4

Written by Glenn on October 22, 2025. Posted in Volume 3.

Aleen Cust – First Woman Veterinary Surgeon in Britain – Early Influences Aleen Cust was the first British woman to become a veterinary surgeon. She was born in Ireland in 1868 into an aristocratic English family. She left her family to enrol at the Veterinary College in Edinburgh, where she completed the course in 1900. The Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons refused to register her, as no woman had been a veterinary Surgeon before and deemed it illegal. She worked in...

Volume 3 Issue 3

Written by Glenn on October 22, 2025. Posted in Volume 3.

Veterinary Life in The Boer War 1889-1902 James William Hall Masheter qualified as a veterinary surgeon in 1893 from RVC. He travelled to South Africa in 1900. He gives an account of his experiences of caring for horses during the Boer War. Arthur L Salter The Skeleton of Eclipse The celebrated racing horse Eclipse died in 1789. A post-mortem examination was carried out by Saintbel. The skeleton was cleaned and mounted for display. Its ownership was passed through...

Volume 3 Issue 2

Written by Glenn on October 15, 2025. Posted in Volume 3.

Thomas Mayer, Thomas Walton Mayer and The Veterinary Surgeons Charter of 1844 The Mayers, father and son, practised as veterinary surgeons in Newcastle-under-Lyme from 1812 to 1854. Thomas Mayer and Thomas Walton Mayer initiated and led the movement that achieved the Royal Charter of 1844 and so created the veterinary profession in the UK. Iain Pattison Mayer House 6-8 Queen Street, Newcastle-under-Lyme A history of the building used as a veterinary surgery by...

Volume 3 Issue 1

Written by Glenn on October 15, 2025. Posted in Volume 3.

Livestock at Garton Slack 2000 Years Ago The excavation of an iron-age settlement at Gaton Slack in Yorkshire revealed a large number of animal bones – cattle, sheep, pigs, horses, dogs, goats, red deer and a few rodents. The farm livestock were all smaller than their modern counterparts. Various pathological abnormalities were noted, including arthritis, rickets, healed fracture, distal phalanx distortions and exostoses. Several dental lesions were seen including missing teeth...