Edward Coleman (1766-1839) started his career as a medical surgeon and went on to become head of the London Veterinary College in 1794 and Principal Veterinary Surgeon to the Army in 1796. He held both posts until his death in 1839. After the sudden death of the College’s first Professor, Charles Vial de St Bel, in 1793, Edward Coleman and William Moorcroft were appointed jointly to rescue the fledgling institution, which was mired in financial difficulties. Moorcroft resigned after only a few weeks, possibly due to a desire to focus on his private practice, or perhaps due to conflict with Coleman.
Between November 1821 and January 1822 Coleman gave a series of lectures on various aspects of the anatomy, physiology and diseases of the horse. In-depth notes were made by one of his students, Edmund Gabriel.
Edmund Gabriel (1800-1864) would go on to become a noted veterinary surgeon in his own right, and was the first Secretary of the RCVS, from 1844 to 1861. In 1856, he was elected veterinary surgeon for the RSPCA. He remained Secretary until ill-health forced his resignation in 1861, and he died in 1864. His obituary in The Veterinarian describes him as “active and energetic in mind, gentlemanly in his demeanour… and was respected most by those who knew him best.”
The Coleman digital collection consists of images of Gabriel’s original notes together with modern transcripts.
