Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies

Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies
Established	1823
Type	Veterinary school
Head of School	Professor Elaine Watson
Location	Edinburgh, Scotland
Affiliations	University of Edinburgh
Website	http://www.vet.ed.ac.uk/

The Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies, commonly referred to as the Dick Vet, is the veterinary school of the University of Edinburgh, Scotland.

Professor Elaine Watson has been head of the school since 1 August, 2003 ^[1].

History

Established by William Dick, a former student of the anatomist John Barclay of the College of Surgeons, the first regular classes at the school were begun in November 1823, although free lectures to small groups of students had been provided prior to this date. The first session of regular classes was financed by student fees and a grant from the Highland Society, of which John Barclay was a director. Mary Dick, William's elder sister, was instrumental in the early administration of the school.

Although an autonomous institution, the students also attended the lectures in (human) medicine at the university.

Also a successful businessman, William Dick in 1833 paid for the erection of improved accommodation on the site of his forge in Clyde Street. This was the base for the school until it moved to its present site at Summerhall in 1916. In 1839, his school officially became a college and William Dick a professor. By the time of Dick's death in 1866, the 818 students he had taught were to be found throughout the world, among them were the founders of veterinary schools in Australia, Canada, Ireland and the United States.

Upon his death, Dick bequeathed his school in trust to the burgh council of Edinburgh. It was officially named the Dick Veterinary College by his sister, in 1873, in response to a crisis caused by the establishment of the rival New Veterinary College set up by alumnus William Williams. Williams took with him a majority of the students, and the library. The two schools existed side by side in Edinburgh until 1904 when William Williams' school was moved to Liverpool, England, forming the basis of the University of Liverpool Faculty of Veterinary Science. The Royal (Dick) Veterinary College was incorporated by Act of Parliament in 1906.

The college was reconstituted as an integral part of the University of Edinburgh in 1951 and became a full faculty in 1964. Reorganisation of the university in 2002 abolished faculties and the Dick Vet is now a part of the College of Medicine and Veterinary Medicine. The Faculty's degree in Veterinary medicine is accredited in the UK, Canada, and the United States.

In 2009, STV filmed a five part documentary at the Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies ^[2]. Some of the cases shown on the documentary follow a wild swan needing an endoscopy, a horse in emergency colic surgery, a skunk being neutered, a chameleon with an eye infection, and a cat with a tumor near its heart removed ^[3]. STV is currently filming a new season of the documentary.

Notable alumni

• Sir Frederick Fitzwygram, President of the RCVS (1875-77) and as such unified the veterinary profession.
• William Robertson, Principal of London Vet College 1881-87
• George Fleming, Founder of the Veterinary Journal in 1875, architect of the 1881 Vet Surgeons Act
• James Law, The first professor of veterinary medicine in the United States (Cornell)
• James McCall, Established the Glasgow Vet College in 1862
• William Williams, the Welsh veterinary surgeon who founded of the New Veterinary College in Edinburgh in 1873 (which went on to become the Faculty of Veterinary Science of the University of Liverpool) and author of several standard works on veterinary science
• John Luke Poett, the first veterinary surgeon in the Canadian North West Mounted Police.
• Andrew Smith, founder of the Ontario Veterinary College, Canada, the oldest veterinary college in the Americas
• Sir Thomas Dalling, Director of Ministry of Agriculture & Fisheries
• Sir John McFadyean, principal of the London Veterinary School and credited as the founder of modern veterinary science
• Duncan McNab McEachran, Established the Montreal Vet College in 1875
• Otello Festiri Soga, First South African veterinary surgeon
• Albert E. Mettam, First Principal of Royal Vet College, Dublin
• Sir Stewart Stockman, Built first UK research laboratories (Weybridge) President of the RCVS (1923-24)
• Sir John N. Ritchie, Chief Veterinary Officer, the highest veterinary post in the Government, Dean of Royal Vet College, London
• John Boyd Dunlop, inventor of the first practical pneumatic tyre, and founder of Dunlop Rubber Company
• Sir Alexander Robertson, CBE, MA, BSc (Aber), PhD (Edin), FRIC, FRSE
• Robin Coombs, He devised 'The Coombs Test', a critical diagnostic test for use in haematology and blood transfusion.
• Noah M. Wekesa, Minister for Science and Technology in the Kenyan Government
• Hamish Moore, Through his recordings, teaching, and pipe-making he has done much to promote the bellows blown pipes of Scotland.
• Brian Sinclair, The brother to Siegfried Farnon in Alf Wrights's (James Herriot) novels. Portrayed as Tristan Farnon.

References

1. ^ http://www.ed.ac.uk/news/vethead.html
2. ^ http://www.thescottishsun.co.uk/scotsol/homepage/news/2929753/Behind-the-scenes-look-at-Edinburgh-vet-school.html
3. ^ http://www.ed.ac.uk/news/all-news/vets-080410

External links

• Official website
• "Royal support for £40m investment at veterinary college", The Herald, 13 June 2006