Hi. I'm Allison McDonald and what I'm going to do is present to you something I call in work and I have produced giving a glimpse of the history of the Dick that during William Dick's time. Who was William Dick? William Dick founded vet school and he was born in 1793 in Whitehorse close in the Canongate in Edinburgh. And his parents, Gina Anderson and John Dick had come down to Edinburgh from Aberdeenshire and that's up in the East Northeast of Scotland. John Dick was a farrier, somebody who puts the iron hooves on horses. And horses of course, the main means of transport back in those days. As well as shoeing the horses, John Dick would probably have been asked by his clients to treat horses. And maybe injuries they had or diseases they had and perhaps even perform some surgical operations. Young William Dick grew up learning the farriery trade from his dad who also encouraged him to read books by fellows like James Clarke and others. Now Clarke, was also a farrier in Edinburgh, who had attended classes in comparative anatomy at the University of Edinburgh but he had also written books on how to give improve veterinary care to animals. And in 1790, he had wanted to establish a veterinary school in Edinburgh, but finances and other considerations prevented him from doing so. At 1815, at the age of 22 years, William Dick in his turn attended comparative anatomy lectures in Edinburgh. These were given by Dr. John Barclay insurgent square in Edinburgh. With this knowledge inside him, a couple of years later in 1817, he set off for London by coach and he went to the Royal Veterinary College in London. And after only three months, he was awarded certificates that now indicated he was a qualified veterinary surgeon. He returned to Edinburgh and later that year and that's now in 1818, he began teaching veterinary, anatomy and clinical practice to small groups of students, largely Pharias, young Pharias like himself. With the encouragement of his mentor Dr Barclay, it's really taken a shine to him. William Dick, formally founded his own vetenary school in 1823. Received financial assistance for this from the Highlands society. The Highland society was a group of gentlemen who had gathered together in order to encourage improvements in Scottish agriculture and Dr. Barkley was one of the directors of the Highland society. The main objective behind the Highland society and its support for William Dick, was to provide a sound education in veterinary medicine to young men from all parts of Scotland. The veterinary course presented by William Dick lasted for six months. And it cost his students about two pounds two shillings in those days. The 23 students at his first class included were largely farriers and blacksmiths. However, Dick also taught students of Agriculture at the University of Edinburgh. And these were classified by him as non qualifying amateurs. They also included country gentlemen and members of the Highland society. And of course others who were just naturally curious. Five years later in 1828, Dick set up a fairly rigorous examination for his students and this was a public oral examination carried out by six quite prominent medical practitioners in town and the Highland society then awarded the diploma to all of those who had passed the exam. In the autumn of 1829, William Dick transfered his course of lectures to Clyde street in Edinburgh's new town. This was where the Dick family now lived and where his father had a smithy forge and Dick also increased the length of his course to two years. The number of students in 1833 had reached 60 and with the money saved from his veterinary practice and from his father, the Dick personally financed the building of the first veterinary school in Scotland. This was on the Clyde street sites in Edinburgh and replaced the cramped old house where he had been teaching for the last four years. Later his veterinary school came to be known as the dick vet. Mainly Dick was William's sister and she had also not married. But she managed the school's finances and paid attention to the behavior of the students and was very much respected by them. She is depicted here as an elderly lady and sadly, we do not have a picture of her when she was a feisty young woman. The curriculum Edinburgh Veterinary School covered many agriculturally important animal species not just the horse as was the case down in London. This important difference was reflected in the car of sandstone freeze that William Dick arranged to be built into the front of his new play street Veterinary school building. Four pairs of sculpted animal heads were depicted. The horse, the dog, the bull and the ram with a wild stag in the center. Up until 1840, William Dick had been the sole teaching of veterinary college. And in 1840, his school was re-designated as a veterinary college. He was given the title of professor and annual attendance at his lectures increased to 80 students. He therefore began to employ well-qualified individuals to assist him. That initiated an ongoing trend in Dick's vet staffing. Gradually, William Dick bought other properties in the Clyde street's courtyard until his college fully occupied the site. By this time as well as having a full teaching commitment, declined Bethanie practice, served on the Edinburgh town council and was veterinary surgeon to the young Queen Victoria in Scotland. It was also in this year 1840 that the word royal appeared in the name of the Edinburgh Veterinary College. Now this group photograph taken about 150 years ago, staff and students are posed inside the Clydes street courtyard. The royal crest is displayed on the courtyard wall. And that belongs to Queen Victoria before she married Albert. William Dick is seated prominently with his top hat and walking stick at the front. This mural is now displayed in our new teaching building on the Easter Bush Campus near Edinburgh. Such was William Dicks's knowledge of horses that he was able to diagnose the presence of lameness in any horse that trotted along the cobbled streets in Clyde's street outside his lecture theater window and he would raise questions and comment on 40 Harrod. During Dick's life, his veterinary college became world reknowned and educated men, and they were all men in those days from around the globe came to his veterinary college. This worldwide tradition is one that is continuing to this day with students from over 220 countries having studied in the Dick vet. Some of the former Dick vet students have founded veterinary colleges in other countries. For example, in Canada, South and North America and in Australia, other former students have gone on to become principals in veterinary colleges. In 1866, William Dick died aged 73 having fulfilled his dream. The running of his college was passed on to the Edinburgh town council as trustees. His legacy is that the veterinary school grew from humble beginnings, the core child of Clyde Street to become a major modern and world renowned veterinary institution. The memory of William Dick and the subsequent history of the Royal Dick School of veterinary studies are depicted in sculptures like this and in paintings throughout the new building at Easter Bush. In order to find out more information about the history of the Dick vet, you should go to the Course website.
