Royal Veterinary College

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Royal Veterinary College


Established	1791
Type	Public veterinary school
Principal	Professor Quintin McKellar BVMS PhD DVM DipECVPT CBiol FIBiol FRAgS MRCVS FRSE
Location	London and Hertfordshire, England, UK
Campus	Urban and Rural
Affiliations	University of London
Website	http://www.rvc.ac.uk/

The Royal Veterinary College is the oldest and largest veterinary school in the United Kingdom. Founded in 1791, it became part of the University of London in 1949, although it remains largely self-governed.

1 History
2 Organization
3 Museum
4 Reference
5 External links

[edit] History

The Royal Veterinary College was founded in 1791 by a group of men lead by Granville Penn, a grandson of William Penn. The promoters wished to select a site close to the metropolis, but far enough away to minimise the temptations open to the students. Earl Camden was just then making arrangements to develop some fields he owned to the north of London, and he replied to the College's newspaper advertisement for a suitable site with an offer to sell it some of his land. The site was rural, but urban developments appeared on all sides in the early decades of the 19th century, creating Camden Town.

The first veterinary college in Europe had been founded in Lyon, France in 1762. Charles Benoit Vial de St Bel of the Lyon establishment was appointed as the first principal of the new college, and the first horse was admitted for treatment in 1793. St Bel died later that year and was succeeded by Edward Coleman, who managed the college for nearly forty six years and established its reputation. In its early years it was mainly concerned with horses, but the range of animals covered gradually increased. The original building was a quadrangle in a neoclassical style, and there was a paddock on the opposite side of Royal College Street, but this was later sold for housing development.

The College first acquired royal patronage from King George IV, and was granted a Charter of Incorporation in 1875. Various extensions were added over the years, and in the 1930s a total reconstruction took place under the supervision and through the fund raising carried out by Sir Fredrick Hobday. The new buildings were opened by George VI in November 1937. The 1930s buildings remain, with minor extensions. The Camden Town site is hemmed in by other buildings and further expansion necessitated a second campus outside of London. The Hawkshead Campus in rural Hertfordshire was officially opened by Queen Elizabeth II in 1959.

[edit] Organization

The College provides undergraduate and postgraduate courses in veterinary medicine. Undergraduates spend their first two years in Camden, primarily engaged in non-clinical science coursework. The final three years take place in Hawkshead, where students gradually make the transitition to full-time clinical work. Throughout, students are expected to undertake significant external experience.

In 1999, the College became one of the first veterinary schools outside of the United States to be accredited by the American Veterinary Medical Association, which allows the school's basic BVetMed degree to be transferred automatically for practice in the United States.

[edit] Museum

The Camden campus houses the Museum of Veterinary History, which holds a collection of veterinary instruments, early anaesthetic and surgical equipment, books, notebooks and photographs relating to the College and the development of veterinary education and science. The Museum may be visited by appointment.