Clement Stephenson: Benefactor

Clement Stephenson was born about 1832 and qualified form London Veterinary College. He returned to his native Newcastle-upon-Tyne and his father’s farriery business. He was appointed to be the Veterinary Surgeon for Newcastle City and was responsible for clearing the area of Cattle Plague. He was elected one of the first fellows of RCVS in 1877. He was involved in Armstrong College School of Agriculture. He died a bachelor in 1918 and bequeathed substantial sums of money to many local charities and also to fund a scholarship at the RVC in London. 

Grant Blythman

Enema Fumosum

John Woodhall (1556-1643) appears to be first physician to recommend a tobacco smoke enema (or glyster). Description of the equipment and its use is given, which required the physician to blow tobacco smoke into the patient’s rectum. Illustrations are given. Examples of veterinary usage are found in some textbooks.

John G P Wood

William Youatt 1776-1847

William Youatt was born in 1776 and received a good education to allow him to become a nonconformist minister and teacher. He did not like this profession and left to become a pupil of Delabere Blaine, who was an established veterinary surgeon in London. The two men became partners in 1813. Youatt entered the London Veterinary College, but such was the enmity between the professor Edward Colemand and Delabere Blaine, Youatt left without obtaining his diploma. Youatt wrote a pamphlet on Rabies in 1814. Blaine and Youatt were determined that the diseases of cattle should be studied at the college, but Coleman refused to consider this. The Agricultural Society of England also campaigned to extend veterinary science to farm animals. In 1817 Youatt set up his own school, where he taught anatomy and diseases of the dog. He was a prolific author. An attempt to obtain his diploma failed in 1830, again as a result of the animosity of Coleman. He finally acquired the diploma in 1844, three years before his death in 1847.

G E Fussell

The Death of William Youatt: An Update

A newspaper report of the death of William Youatt, as a result of suicide with poison. It was suggested he had significant financial liabilities and debts.

John Clewlow

William Youatt: Founder of Pet Insurance

A copy of an advert, from 1824, for William Youatt’s veterinary hospital giving the details an insurance arrangement involving an annual fee to provide veterinary treatment of the dog for a year. Various restrictions and additional charges are given.

John Clewlow

The History of veterinary Medicine in Gold Coast/Ghana from 1909 to 1961

An account of the colonial veterinary service in Gold Coast and the transition to independence as Ghana. There were attempts to limit the importation of disease cattle from other countries and to improve the quality and disease resistance of the local cattle, using White Fuani Zebu and N’dama cattle breeds. The use of serum/virus methos to control Rinderpest (Cattle Plague) is described. The politics of the transitional phase with the election of Kwame Nkrumah as Leader of Government Business are outlined. 

Robert Mares