RCVS Vet History
    • Collections
      • menus-Archive-SQUARE_BTN_v2Archive Collections
        Browse unpublished material collected by significant members of the profession such as letters, case notes, photographs and artwork.

        Explore in here for beautiful watercolours depicting veterinary practice and equipment; original notes by an RVC student in 1873; and correspondence discussing the long history of veterinary science.
      • menus-Library-SQUARE_BTN_v2Library Collections
        Browse published material including veterinary books, periodicals and pamphlets.

        Explore in here for early veterinary writing by the forefathers of the profession; descriptions of historic methods and cases; and anonymous backbiting between the professors of competing veterinary schools.
    • Archive Catalogue
        • visit-the-archive-catalogue-menuArchive Catalogue
          The archive catalogue provides descriptions of material held within our collections, to help researchers decide which items are most relevant to their interest, before consulting the actual documents.

          Archive catalogues are arranged hierarchically, from the general to the specific, and so a general search will return many results, which you can then narrow down to specific items.

          The cataloguing of our collections is a work in progress, and more records are added periodically.
      • Featured works
          • feature-imagePhotographs of Smith’s laboratory at the Army Veterinary School, AldershotPhotographs relating to the Army Veterinary School in Aldershot, including Smith's laboratory and vaccine institute.
          • featured-imageManuscript notes made by Smith, whilst a student at the Royal Veterinary CollegeThis notebook contains manuscript notes and sketches made by Smith, during his study at the Royal Veterinary College in 1873 to 1874. The notes are about the eye and the foot of the horse. Smith presented these notes to the library of the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons...
          • featured image- EM.1.15.715 – “Operations”Artworks include: "The present manner of casting a horse for an operation."; "Operations No 6"; "Tracheotomy under Difficulties"; "Tracheotomy No 3"; "Tracheotomy No 2"; "Periosteotomy - Fig 5"; "Periosteotomy Figures 1 to 4";...
          • featured-FS.2.2.4.2.9 (1)9 – Letter to Mary Ann Smith from Frederick Smith, 24 Jan 1900This letter has several sections redacted in black ink, which are assumed to be on personal subjects and not related to Smith's work in South Africa. In this letter, Smith writes on the following subjects: 24 Jan - Smith hearing that the night raid by the British was successful,..
      • About
        • about-rcvsk-v2About RCVS Knowledge
          RCVS Knowledge is the independent charity associated with the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons (RCVS). Our ambition is to become a global intermediary for evidence based veterinary knowledge...
        • about-vhAbout The RCVS Vet History project
          RCVS Vet History is a five year project, in which the historically rich, but previously untapped, collections of the RCVS will be preserved and made more accessible to the public. The project will culminate in two major public outputs...
        • about-archiveAbout the Archive Collections
          Collections include the papers of Major-General Sir Frederick Smith and the watercolours of Edward Mayhew...
        • about-libraryAbout the Library Collections
          Publications include ‘The Veterinarian’, ‘Farrier and Naturalist’ and pamphlets by Bracy Clark
        • about-teamAbout the Team
          Meet the team behind RCVS Vet History...
        • how-to-find-usWhere to find us
      • Learn
        • How To Use This Website
          • Search
          • Browse
          • Engage
          • Share
          • Universal Viewer
        • How To Use The Universal Viewer
        • How To Visit The RCVS Library & Archive
        • How To Access The Archive Catalogue
        • How To Find Related Material
      • Menu
      • Collections
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        • Archive Collections
        • [Column]
        • Library Collections
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      • About
        • About RCVS Knowledge
        • About The RCVS Vet History project
        • About the Archive Collections
        • About the Library Collections
        • About the Team
        • Where to find us
      • Learn
        • How To Use This Website
          • Search
          • Browse
          • Engage
          • Share
          • Universal Viewer
        • How To Use The Universal Viewer
        • How To Visit The RCVS Library & Archive
        • How To Access The Archive Catalogue
        • How To Find Related Material

      How To

      • SEARCH

      • BROWSE

      • ENGAGE

      • SHARE

      • UNIVERSAL VIEWER

      • HOW TO USE THE UNIVERSAL VIEWER

      • HOW TO VISIT THE RCVS LIBRARY AND ARCHIVE

      • HOW TO ACCESS THE ARCHIVE CATALOGUE

      • HOW TO FIND RELATED MATERIAL

      HOW TO USE THIS WEBSITE


      Search


      The simplest way to access content on this website is by entering a search term in the search box, located at the top right of every page. You can carry out a more advanced search by clicking on the green button to the left of the search box. You will be able filter your search to specific categories, date ranges, or to only find exact matches.

      We have created detailed descriptions for all the content on this site, but if you still cannot locate material relevant to your research, please contact us with your enquiry.


      Browse

      If you are not searching for anything specific, or would first like to see the extent of our collections, there are several methods by which you can browse our content.

      You can start by choosing to browse either the Archive collections (for manuscript notes, letters, watercolours, and photographs) or the Library collections (for periodicals, pamphlets and books). Links to these collections are located on the home page, or from the ‘What would you like to do?’ Menu. You can then select specific sections of each collection to browse within.

      Some works from the website are featured on the home page, and can also be accessed from the Menu, or the right-hand panel of every page of the website. The featured works will change as we add new content to the site – so check back regularly to see what’s new! You can also browse the content which has been most viewed, or most commented upon, via links on the home page

      All the content of the site has been tagged, and there is a tag cloud on every page. Click any tag that interests you to browse related content.

      From each work’s page you can also navigate to material collected by date, via the right-hand panel, or find the work as part of the category tree below the Universal Viewer.

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      Engage


      The RCVS Vet History Project team have added detailed metadata to all the content on the site – but there is still a lot more to learn about the material. We encourage users of the site to contribute more detail about the subjects discussed in the documents and periodicals. Please comment regarding historical context, related literature, or any other nuggets of information which will expand the knowledge these sources provide.

      We have also created a ‘Suggest a tag’ feature, which can be found under each work on the website. Please suggest any other subjects or terms you think apply to the material you are looking at. This will not only add valuable information about veterinary science, but further help people find the content they are looking for!

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      Share

      You can share each work through the usual social media channels, and your email, via handy buttons below the Universal Viewer. You can also embed the Universal Viewer for individual works within your own website, by copying the code found via the ‘embed’ button at the bottom of the Viewer.


      Universal Viewer


      Originally developed by Digirati for the Wellcome Trust, the Universal Viewer is an open source user interface, which is at the cutting edge of digital artefact presentation. For more information about the Universal Viewer, and Digirati click here .

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      HOW TO USE THE UNIVERSAL VIEWER


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      HOW TO VISIT THE RCVS LIBRARY AND ARCHIVE


      Only a small percentage of the RCVS Archive and Historical Book collections are currently available through this website. If you would like to visit in person, we are located within RCVS Knowledge, at the following address:

      RCVS Knowledge
      Ground Floor
      Belgravia House
      62-64 Horseferry Road
      London SW1P 2AF

      We are open Monday to Friday, 9.15am to 5pm.

      For general enquiries, email library@rcvsknowledge.org or telephone 020 7202 0752

      If you would like to visit the Archive in person, please contact us in advance to discuss your research, and which material you would like to see. Archive material can be viewed by prior appointment only.

      Email: archives@rcvsknowledge.org Telephone: 020 7202 0771

      You can search the Archive Catalogue here, and the Library Catalogue here.

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      HOW TO ACCESS THE ARCHIVE CATALOGUE


      Only a small percentage of the archive collections are currently available through this website. To discover more material, please search the Archive catalogue located here .

      The archive catalogue provides descriptions of material held within our collections, to help researchers decide which items are most relevant to their interest, before consulting the actual documents. Archive catalogues are arranged hierarchically, from the general to the specific, and so a general search will return many results, which you can then narrow down to specific items.

      The cataloguing of our collections is a work in progress, and more records are added periodically.

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      HOW TO FIND RELATED MATERIAL


      If you are interested in veterinary history and would like to find similar library and archive material, please use the following links:

      AIM25 Archives in London and the M25 area – Find information about archive collections held by over 100 institutions within the Greater London area.

      The National Archives Discovery catalogue – Information about collections held by the National Archives, and over 2500 archive repositories across the United Kingdom.

      Internet Archive of the Webster Family Library of Veterinary Medicine Collection – Free electronic access to veterinary publications dating from 1571.

      Health Archives and Records Group – A group for archivists and researchers working with health records, and material relating to the history of medicine.

      Royal Veterinary College Museums – official records, books, objects and memorabilia relating to the history of veterinary medicine.

      University of Edinburgh, Centre for Research Collections – papers relating to the history of the Royal (Dick) Veterinary College.

      Wellcome Library – veterinary collections – Large collection of published and manuscript material from the fifteenth century onwards.

      The Museum of English Rural Life, University of Reading – Material from agricultural publications and organisations, individual farms and large estates, from the thirteenth to twenty-first century.

      The Museum of Military Medicine, Aldershot – Collections relating to army medicine and healthcare, both human and animal.

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      abdomen
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      cheek
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      Cirencester Agricultural College
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      coach horses
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      Cornell University
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      Eastern Counties Veterinary Medical Association
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      Edinburgh Botanical Society
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      Frederick Smith
      frog
      fundraising
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      General Medical Council
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      geology
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      George IV
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      gestation
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      glands
      Glasgow
      Glasgow Agricultural Discussion Society
      Glasgow Veterinary College
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      Glasgow Veterinary College Veterinary Medical Association
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      Glasgow Veterinary Medical Society
      goat
      goose
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      Institute of Chemistry
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      intestines
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      In the Spotlight…

      • Transcription Project Completed – thanks to our incredible volunteers!
        by Lorna Cahill Bannister on 23rd November 2020 at 15:09

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      RCVS VET HISTORY 

      We are an RCVS Knowledge initiative, for the preservation and promotion of the historical collections of the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons, made possible with the support of The Alborada Trust.

      The Alborada Trust

      The Alborada Trust is a charitable trust founded in 2001. Its aims are the funding of medical and veterinary causes, research and education – and the relief of poverty and human and animal suffering, sickness and ill-health. Charity Registration No 1091660

       

      Contact

      Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons Trust (trading as RCVS Knowledge) is a registered Charity No. 230886. Registered as a Company limited by guarantee in England and Wales No. 598443.

      Registered Office: Belgravia House 62-64 Horseferry Road London SW1P 2AF

      © Copyright - RCVS Vet History
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