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Honouring our ‘professional brethren on the Continent’

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Nominations are currently been sought for RCVS Honorary Fellowship or Honorary Associateship.

These prestigious honours have a long history.  The  RCVS has had the power to bestow them since the Supplemental Charter of 1876, with the first Honorary Associateships made  in 1880.

The minutes of the Council meeting of 29 July record President George Fleming’s opening remarks in which he gives an account of his attendance at an International Veterinary Conference in Brussels.  He had been invited to attend in a private capacity and remarked that “the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons was not known on the Continent, and was not in any way recognised”. He thought that the “time had come when they should elect some of their professional brethren on the Continent as Honorary Fellows of the Royal College.”

Closing the meeting, Fleming gives notice of a motion that he will bring to the next meeting: “he will bring forward the names of certain gentlemen… and move that they will be elected Honorary Fellows”.  This he duly did at the Council meeting on 13 October of that year.  Interestingly, the motion he actually laid proposed that the gentlemen be elected as Honorary Associates of the College and not Honorary Fellows.

So who was on the list of names?  Well there was 67 of them – a fact that gave cause to some discussion in Council, with one member saying the President would “do better… to select some of the names” to which Fleming replied that they were all eminent and to select a few would have “appeared invidious.”    Fleming might have had a point as the list includes the Professors or Directors of most of the European veterinary schools as well as several principal veterinary surgeons in the armies of Europe.  I wonder if the attendance list of the Conference in Brussels was the basis for Fleming’s selection?

Section of the list of Honorary Associates 1880

Section of the list of Honorary Associates 1880

Following discussion about the cost of producing and posting out the certificates (which was to mirror the certificate for the RCVS Fellowship, including a Latin inscription)  the motion was finally passed.

The full list of names was published in the Veterinary Journal and appeared in the RCVS Register of 1881 where they are named as Honorary Foreign Associates (the distinction between Honorary Associates (for UK-based individuals) and Honorary Foreign Associates was maintained until the late 1920s).

Illustration by Jean-Pierre Megnin one of the original Honorary Foreign Associates

Illustration by Jean-Pierre Megnin one of the original Honorary Foreign Associates

From a library perspective it is good to note that the ‘only’ privilege of being an Honorary Associate was free use of the library and museum (the privileges were modelled on those offered by the Royal College of Surgeons to their honorary members).

I’d like to think they appreciated this benefit – they certainly added to the collections as we have copies of books written by these gentleman in the Historical Collection – signed ‘with the compliments of the author’.    I have often wondered what the connection was – now I know.

A library accessible to every member

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We have always been fortunate to receive regular donations of books and historical material that enhance our Collection. It is not uncommon for the donor of the work to tell us something about the material – how they have used it or why they are gifting it to us. These personal stories add real interest and help us to bring the material to life.

I have recently come across an example of this in our archives in a series of letters from George Fleming (1833-1901). Fleming was RCVS President in 1880-84 and 1886 and was responsible for, and funded the costs of, the 1881 Veterinary Surgeons Act.

On 10th March 1900 he writes:

“Dear Mr President,

Fleming's Letter 10th March 1900

Fleming’s Letter 10th March 1900

I have not forgotten, nor am I ever likely to forget the generous manner in which the members of the veterinary profession acknowledged the feeble services I was permitted to render them some years ago; and I would now like to give evidence of my recollection of their beneficence in asking … [if the RCVS] …would further favour me by accepting, as a gift, my professional library”.

Fleming says that the library comprises at least 600 items, in several languages, with many of them been rare.  The only stipulation of the gift is “that the volumes are to be accessible to every member who desires to refer to them”.

In the next six months, he wrote to the President on three further occasions and appears anxious that the books are transferred to the RCVS sooner rather than later to “ensure their reception during my lifetime”.

In the final letter to the RCVS, dated 24 August 1900, Fleming records that 821 books have just been collected by the shippers and apologises that they “are very dusty” blaming “workmen in the house”. Finally he suggests that a “man should be employed to arrange and catalogue them”.

Catalogue of the Fleming Library

Catalogue of the Fleming Library

George Fleming died on 13 April 1901 so I am not sure if he knew that a catalogue was made of his library.  We still have it, and together with his books and the journals he had previously donated, it takes pride of place in our Historical Collection.

If you have any material that you think we might be interested in get in touch and tell us your story.

George Fleming’s travels on horseback

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A view beyond the Great Wall of China

A view beyond the Great Wall of China

In 1859 George Fleming  volunteered to serve as a veterinary officer on the expedition to North China.  Whilst there, in July 1861, he embarked on a journey of almost 700 miles from Tien-tsin, where he was stationed, to Mantchu Tartary.  Two years later he wrote an account of the journey which was published as Travels on horseback in Mantchu Tartary  (Hurst and Blackett, 1863)

In the preface Fleming explains his reasons for writing an account of ‘his novel ride through one of the most distant regions of the great Chinese empire’ :

“Little in reality is known regarding the far north, more especially of those hitherto inaccessible districts which border on, or lie beyond, that marvellous monument of human industry – The Great Wall, in its course along the eastern margin of Old China.

It is therefore hoped that an attempt to describe the general features of the country and the special characteristics of the northern Chinese … may prove in some degree interesting. It may be a long time before Europeans will again venture so far as from the vicinity of Peking to the birthplace of the Mantchu dynasty … So until a more leisurely survey can be made … these notes of a holiday pilgrimage the author hopes will not be unacceptable.”

The book is 566 pages long and describes the people Fleming met; their customs; the landscape and the climate etc. He also gives descriptions of agricultural practices in the various regions and of the hardships he faced along the way  The text is accompanied by 54 illustrations a number of which are reproduced below.

Chinese Horse dealer

A Chinese horse-dealer ‘who had all the vices and dodges of his Western confreres’

Warning to robbers

A warning to robbers

Pig driver

A Pig-driver – wearing a ‘first-rate waterproof of rushes’

Roadside sanctuary

The roadside sanctuary

Inn at the Wall

Inn at the Wall – the useless passport

The Horse Doctor

The Horse-doctor

Fast in the mud

Fast in the mud

Tartar Solldiers

Tartar soldiers

Courtyard wall

Courtyard wall – ‘the open brick-work in front was literally plastered with human faces’

For other posts about George Fleming

A snapshot of British veterinary practice in 1882

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One of my favourite parts of our Archives is the extensive collection of applications for Existing Practitioner status, sent to the RCVS in 1882. After the arduous work carried out seven years ago to sort and list the 859 separate applications, I am very excited to now begin making these fascinating documents more accessible to the public via our Digital Collections website.

Part of the application submitted by William Bevys Bennett of Abergavenny

“Existing Practitioners” not “Veterinary Surgeons”

Clare’s previous blog post describes the background to the Existing Practitioner status in more detail. In brief, each of the applications was sent by a man practising veterinary surgery in Britain, but not a member of the RCVS, and who likely hadn’t ever attended a veterinary school. The Veterinary Surgeons Act 1881 legally distinguished the difference between MRCVS and unqualified practitioners, who could no longer claim the title ‘veterinary surgeon’. The creation of a fixed list of ‘Existing Practitioners’ served to prevent skilled men from losing their livelihood.

The complete list of Existing Practitioners, as it appeared in the RCVS Register 1883, can be viewed on our website at the link above.

Community connections

We receive many enquiries from descendants of veterinary surgeons and are able to provide information as recorded on the Register over time. However, I am always glad when I discover that the enquirer’s ancestor is actually an Existing Practitioner rather than an MRCVS, as in many cases there are supporting references alongside their application forms. These letters from local farmers, landowners, doctors and clergymen often provide an extra level of insight into the working life of the applicant, and his connections within the community in which he lived and contributed.

For example, the application of William Henry Arthy includes a detailed letter of reference from the ‘Assistant Horse Superintendent’ of the Shropshire Union Railways and Canal Company. Mr Llewellyn recounts that Mr Arthy’s attention helped all their horses recover from a bout of Influenza and Strangles the previous spring.

“I believe him to be highly respectable, trustworthy, honest & steady” – Letter of reference for W H Arthy from Mr Llewellyn, 14 Apr 1882

Another intriguing application is that of Frederick George Baker, who missed the ‘early bird’ offer of only three Guineas application fee as it was submitted before April 1882, and so had to pay double the amount in December. In a letter to the RCVS, he says, “it is rather awkward to get old of money just before Christmas” and wants to know how much time he can take to gather the funds. He contacted R C Trigger MRCVS to ask him to help him with the fee, and although we do not know how they are connected, and Trigger himself writes to Baker that he “quite fails to see that you have any claim upon me”, he offers to contribute one sovereign to his fee.

“I have not been able at present to make the amount up. Will you kindly let me know the longest time I shall be allowed to obtain it.” Letter to RCVS Secretary from Frederick George Baker, 14 Dec 1882

Digitising the applications

The above are just two examples of the hundreds of stories that can be found in this collection. As part of our ongoing digitisation project, I will take a sample of the collection, digitise the individual documents for each application and upload them to our Digital Collections website. So far ten are already viewable on the website, but more will be added over time. I aim to get at least 10% of the applications uploaded initially, including those which contain the most correspondence and supporting papers.

Take a look at the applications uploaded so far and explore this rich source of British social and veterinary history.

-Lorna-