Portrait of Professor William Dick Wellcome L0003605

William Dick's grave, New Calton Burial Ground

William Dick (6 May 1793 – 4 April 1866) was a Scottish

veterinarian A veterinarian (vet), also known as a veterinary surgeon or veterinary physician, is a medical professional who practices veterinary medicine. They manage a wide range of health conditions and injuries in non-human animals. Along with this, vet ...

and founder of the Dick Vet School in

Edinburgh Edinburgh ( ; gd, Dùn Èideann ) is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 Council areas of Scotland, council areas. Historically part of the county of Midlothian (interchangeably Edinburghshire before 1921), it is located in Lothian ...

, the first veterinary college in Scotland. He is responsible for major advances in the field of veterinary science and the profession as a whole.

Life

He was born in

White Horse Close White Horse Close, or "Whitehorse Close", is an enclosed courtyard off the Canongate at the foot of the Royal Mile at the eastern end of the Old Town of Edinburgh, Scotland. History It was formerly known as "Ord's Close", after Laurence Ord, ...

on the

Canongate The Canongate is a street and associated district in central Edinburgh, the capital city of Scotland. The street forms the main eastern length of the Royal Mile while the district is the main eastern section of Edinburgh's Old Town. It began ...

’s

Royal Mile The Royal Mile () is a succession of streets forming the main thoroughfare of the Old Town of the city of Edinburgh in Scotland. The term was first used descriptively in W. M. Gilbert's ''Edinburgh in the Nineteenth Century'' (1901), des ...

on 6 May 1793 to Jane (Jean) Anderson (c.1765–1837) and John Dick (1769-1844). His father was a blacksmith and

farrier A farrier is a specialist in equine hoof care, including the trimming and balancing of horses' hooves and the placing of shoes on their hooves, if necessary. A farrier combines some blacksmith's skills (fabricating, adapting, and adjus ...

who had moved from

Aberdeen Aberdeen (; sco, Aiberdeen ; gd, Obar Dheathain ; la, Aberdonia) is a city in North East Scotland, and is the third most populous city in the country. Aberdeen is one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas (as Aberdeen City), and ...

with his wife, six years prior to William being born. He was educated by the Reverend J. Robinson at Paul’s Work, a small complex of buildings where Waverley train station now stands. His higher education was at Mr Keeson’s School in Shakespeare Square, at the east end of

Princes Street Princes Street ( gd, Sràid nam Prionnsan) is one of the major thoroughfares in central Edinburgh, Scotland and the main shopping street in the capital. It is the southernmost street of Edinburgh's New Town, stretching around 1.2 km (three ...

. In 1815 the family moved to a courtyard off a back lane in the

New Town, Edinburgh The New Town is a central area of Edinburgh, the capital of Scotland. It was built in stages between 1767 and around 1850, and retains much of its original neo-classical and Georgian period architecture. Its best known street is Princes Street ...

, 15 Clyde Street. The following year he began extra-mural classes, studying anatomy under Dr John Barclay. He remained friends with Barclay until his death. Due to his background he decided to combine his love of horses with the study of anatomy, and at Barclay’s suggestion, travelled to

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

late in 1817, to specifically study as a veterinary surgeon under Edward Coleman in

Camden Town Camden Town (), often shortened to Camden, is a district of northwest London, England, north of Charing Cross. Historically in Middlesex, it is the administrative centre of the London Borough of Camden, and identified in the London Plan as o ...

. The study here was brief and he received his Diploma in January 1818 after three months. He returned to Edinburgh to establish his own veterinary college, based at his father’s courtyard, and with the support of his sister, Mary Dick, and a patron, John Corse Scott of Sinton. After a slow start, with only four students in 1819, greater progress began to be made. The course consisted of two lectures per week for 23 weeks. Covering anatomy and diseases of a range of large animals, chiefly farm stock and dogs. He also encouraged his students to attend extra-mural anatomy lectures at the

University of Edinburgh Medical School The University of Edinburgh Medical School (also known as Edinburgh Medical School) is the medical school of the University of Edinburgh in Scotland and the United Kingdom and part of the College of Medicine and Veterinary Medicine. It was esta ...

. The college expanded to absorb other buildings on Clyde Street over the next 20 years. The process was executed in liaison with the Highland Society, who at the end of the course issued a certificate, following an oral examination, to say the student was competent to practice "the veterinary art". After much fame and success

Queen Victoria Victoria (Alexandrina Victoria; 24 May 1819 – 22 January 1901) was Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland from 20 June 1837 until Death and state funeral of Queen Victoria, her death in 1901. Her reign of 63 years and 21 ...

appointed him as Veterinary to the Queen in 1838 and the Clyde Street premises displayed a royal

coat-of-arms A coat of arms is a heraldic visual design on an escutcheon (i.e., shield), surcoat, or tabard (the latter two being outer garments). The coat of arms on an escutcheon forms the central element of the full heraldic achievement, which in its w ...

from that date. By his death in 1866 he had trained 818 students who had gone on to practice around the globe. He died on 4 April 1866 and was buried in

New Calton Burial Ground New Calton Burial Ground is a burial ground in Edinburgh. It was built as an overspill and functional replacement to Old Calton Burial Ground and lies half a mile to its east on Regent Road in Edinburgh, Scotland, on the south-east slopes of Cal ...

overlooking his original birthplace and family home just to the south. The grave lies just to the north-east of the central crossing of the main paths, facing west. His will stipulated that his fortune on death must be held in trust and used to continue to run the college. Following his death the college was briefly run by Colonel

James Hallen Colonel James Herbert Brockencote Hallen or J.H.B. Hallen CIE FRCSE FRCVS (1829 – 20 August 1901) was a British veterinarian who served as Principal of the Dick's Veterinary School in Edinburgh from for the academic year 1866/67 and later wo ...

, but Hallen was obliged to travel to India to tackle an outbreak of cattle plague. In May 1867 William Williams took over as principal.

Legacy

In 1906 the College was officially named the

Royal (Dick) Veterinary College The Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies, commonly referred to as the Dick Vet, is the veterinary school of the University of Edinburgh in Scotland and part of the College of Medicine and Veterinary Medicine the head of which is Moira Why ...

by Act of Parliament. It is referred to as the "Dick Vet". In 1916 it moved to a purpose-built new home at Summerhall in the South Side of Edinburgh, which had been built 1913-1915, with some disruption due to the

First World War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

. It became part of the

University of Edinburgh The University of Edinburgh ( sco, University o Edinburgh, gd, Oilthigh Dhùn Èideann; abbreviated as ''Edin.'' in post-nominals) is a public research university based in Edinburgh, Scotland. Granted a royal charter by King James VI in 15 ...

in 1951. In 2011 it relocated outside the city to the Easter Bush campus next to the Roslin Institute.

Artistic recognition

A portrait of 1851 of William Dick by

Tavernor Knott Tavernor Knott WSA (occasionally written Taverner Knott) (1816–1890) was a Scottish portrait and genre artist. He was the paternal uncle of Cargill Gilston Knott. Life He was born in Aberdeen in 1816 the son of John Knott (b.1754), a music tea ...

is held by the University of Edinburgh. His bust by

George Clark Stanton George Clark Stanton RSA (11 June 1832- 8 January 1894) was a 19th-century Scottish sculptor, silversmith and portrait miniaturist. Life Stanton was educated at King Edward's School, Birmingham and Birmingham School of Art, initially trainin ...

previously stood in the Dick Vet School.

Other positions held

Justice of the Peace A justice of the peace (JP) is a judicial officer of a lower or ''puisne'' court, elected or appointed by means of a commission ( letters patent) to keep the peace. In past centuries the term commissioner of the peace was often used with the sa ...

*Moderator of the High Constables of Edinburgh 1842-3 *Lord

Dean of Guild A Dean of Guild, under Scots law, was one of a group of burgh magistrates who, in later years, had the care of buildings. The leader of the group was known as Lord Dean of Guild. Originally, the post was held by the head of the Guild brethren o ...

for Edinburgh, 1843-1845 *Deacon of the Guild of Hammermen *Deacon Convenor of the Trades of Edinburgh *Editor of The Veterinarian

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Dick, William Scottish veterinarians 1793 births 1866 deaths People in health professions from Edinburgh Academics of the University of Edinburgh