Charles Vial de Saint-Bel. Père de la médecine vétérinaire en Angleterre et fondateur du Collège Vétérinaire de Londres (1792)

Abstract

VIAL DE SAINT-BEL (CH.) XVIIIe CENTURY, ENGLAND Charles Vial de Saint-Bel father of the English Veterinary Pro¬ fession and Founder of the Veterinary College of London. Bora in France at Lyon on January 28, 1753, Charles Vial de Saint-Bel graduated from the Veterinary School of Lyon at 19, later appointed Professor at the School of Alfort. Because of the hostility of Bourgelat, he soon left Alfort, He becomes, in 1774 professor of Surgery at Montpellier, a position held untill 1778. In 1778, he left France for England and there married an English Lady. In 1789, he etablished himself Permanently in London. He met an American, Granville Penn, Grandson of Villiam Penn founder of Pennsylvania, an active member of Odiham Agricultural Society who helped Saint-Bel to present his «Plan» for establishing a Veterinary School in London. On February 18, 1791, the Veterinary School of London was created and it was staded on the same day that Charles Vial de Saint-Bel was requested to accept the Profesorship to the Said Vete¬ rinary College. On August 22, 1793, after 15 days of fever and faintings, Saint-Bei died at the age of 40 years. His body was enterred in the vault of the Savon Chapel in the Strand. On may 8, 1844, his School joined with «Dick Veterinary College of Edimburg». Itself based on the Vial de Saint-Bel Educa tion System formed. The Royal College of Veterinary surgeons whicl exits to day. Lineal descendent of the first Veterinary School in the worl< with was founded in 1763 at Lyon, the Veterinary College of Londoi is the ancestor of the Royal College of Veterinary surgeons of Londoi The Dick College of Edimburgh was the progenitor of the Ontari Veterinary College founded by Smith and Fergusson graduated c Edimburgh, of the French Veterinary School of Montreal founde by Mac Eachron and Daubigny and of the Cornell University in Ithac created by Law. Thus, the Frenchman Vial de Saint-Bel played a fundamental roe in the History of Veterinary education in North America.