AGM 2011, BBQ and Tour of RVC 25 Sep 2011

Report of the AGM of the Beds Essex and Herts Branch of the Society of Biology on 25^th September at the Royal Veterinary College At North Mimms.

The weather was perfect and the various  “chefs” created a Global choice of barbecued delicacies followed by indulgent desserts and chocolate cup cakes.

Following the AGM, Viv Heys gave us a comprehensive history and behind the scenes tour of The Royal Veterinary College and its facilities including some of the latest medical equipment and techniques currently used. The key facts we learned were as follows:

• The foundation of The Royal Veterinary College, London, in 1791 marked the establishment of the veterinary profession in the UK.
• During the first 100 years of its existence the College progressed from a horse infirmary with a handful of students to a science based institution, producing veterinarians and scientists with reputations acknowledged all over the world.
• It is located on two campuses in central London and in countryside just north of London.
• The College has a long tradition of making seminal contributions to animal care and welfare and public health and undertakes basic as well as applied research. This continues to the present day, with staff experienced in a wide range of disciplines and skills, complemented by the College's clinical facilities and modern, well-equipped laboratories.
• The College was granted the first Royal Charter in1875. To this day the RVC remains the only veterinary college in the UK to have its own Royal Charter.
• In 1949 The Royal Veterinary College (RVC) became a full part of the University of London and is the largest veterinary school in the UK
• The RVC scored a maximum 24/24 in the 2000 QAA assessment.
• The College employs scientists and veterinarians with international reputations, and is the largest provider of veterinary education for the professions in the UK. Research areas include: Infection and Immunity, Musculoskeletal Biology, Reproduction, Genes and Development, Cardiovascular and Inflammation Biology.
• The RVC's teaching provision is accredited by the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons (RCVS), European Association of Establishments for Veterinary Education (EEAVE)  and American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA).

Finally we also heard the story of Eclipse the famous racehorse which was featured on the Channel 4 programme ‘Inside Nature's Giants’ on 20 September 2011. In the racing seasons of 1769 and 1770 the racecourses of England were dominated by one horse. That horse was Eclipse, so named because of the solar event on the day of his birth, 1 April 1764. Eclipse was never beaten on the racecourse and, in the absence of any competition, he was retired from racing in 1770 and stood at stud until he died in 1789 at the age of 25.

Eclipse was a sufficiently important horse to make it necessary to know not only the cause of his death, but also the secret of his successful life. A veterinary opinion was needed, but there was no veterinary school and no qualified veterinarian in the country except the Frenchman Charles Benoit Vial de St Bel. St Bel attended the corpse of the famous racehorse and subsequently published his post-mortem findings and was a key driver behind the foundation of the College.

Review by Theresa Huxley MSB