Dr. John Barclay's teaching of Comparative Anatomy

It has been clear from the various reviews made of the early years of the veterinary school in Edinburgh that one of the seminal events in its founding and development was the introduction, in May 1815, of William Dick to Dr John Barclay. The occasion which prompted that meeting was the inauguration by Dr Barclay of a course of lectures on Comparative Anatomy in his extra-mural school, in which he would 'dissect and demonstrate the Structures of Quadrupeds, Birds, and fishes' and its promotion in Edinburgh newspapers. The Farmer's Magazine, on April 1815, specifically drew this course to the attention of farriers in Edinburgh. The course would run from Tuesday the 9th of May until about the end of July, 1815