Highlights of the collections

In December 1891 Edward Reuben Edwards was employed to catalogue the RCVS Museum Collections. The catalogue reveals a number of interesting items including an 'entire preparation of a green monkey' and the 'trachea of the first giraffe ever brought to England'.

In our Historical Collection is a copy of Thomas Blundeville’s The fower chiefyst offices belonging to horsemanshippe which is considered to be the first significant English book on the management and treatment of horses.

Frederick Henry Huth (1844-1918) assembled, with the assistance of Bernard Quaritch a dealer in rare books, what was at that time one of the largest collections of horse books. In the process of doing this the two men agreed that a bibliography of books about horses was needed and that this should include a subject, as well as a general index. Click on the photo below to view an enlarged version.

Dollar served on RCVS Council from 1894-1909 and as President in 1904-05, during which time he gave to Council the badge and chain that are part of the Presidential regalia he is pictured wearing.

The most important of the manuscripts is a collection of, almost verbatim, notes taken by Gabriel, whilst he was a student at the London Veterinary College. The loose leaf notes are of seventy seven lectures given by Professor Edward Coleman between 1821-22 and cover a variety of topics relating to the horse.

John Roalfe Cox graduated from London Veterinary School in 1849 after which he studied human medicine becoming a member of the Royal College of Surgeons. Eventually Cox set up a practice near Grosvenor Square which rapidly expanded until by 1870 it was one of the largest, and most lucrative in London.