Celebrating the centenary of a female veterinary pioneer

A few weeks ago, I found myself at Glasgow Airport ready to board a flight for my first (and possibly only) international trip as RCVS President.

I was off to Dublin airport, where I was meeting Kate Richards, current RCVS Senior Vice President, hiring a car and making our way to Mountbellew Agricultural College in County Galway.

The invitation was to the Centenary Conference celebrating 100 years since the first woman was admitted to the RCVS register in 1922 and it seemed particularly appropriate that Kate and I went, having been part of the first all-female RCVS Presidential team.

Aleen Cust, born in County Tipperary in 1868, was a pioneering woman who studied at the New Veterinary College in Edinburgh and qualified in 1900 but was not allowed to call herself a Veterinary Surgeon until 22 years later, after the passage of the Sex Disqualification (Removal) Act in 1919. The RCVS could no longer ignore her repeated requests to be added to the Register.

A small committee of three veterinary surgeons came together in 2021 to remember and honour this incredible trailblazer of her era. Donal Connolly, Ascinta Kilroy and Brendan Gardiner, all MsRCVS, have been instrumental in reviving her name.

Aleen’s story is impressive. Despite not being able to call herself a vet, William Byrne, a veterinary surgeon from Athleague, County Roscommon, offered her a position as his assistant. She travelled around on her grey horse and was well respected amongst all the local farmers and clients.

She applied for a role in 1905 as a Veterinary Inspector for Galway County Council, but despite a large majority of local councillors wanting her to get the role, she was not recognised by the RCVS and could not get the position. Sent back to repeat the recruitment process, the local board still recommended her, she was clearly the best candidate for the job, so they amended the title of the position to ‘inspector’.

In 1915 she took a leave of absence from the County Council position, filled her car (things had moved on from the grey horse!) and drove to the Western Front to volunteer in World War 1 to care for the war horses and act as a bacteriologist with the animal vaccine unit.

She returned to Ireland and a few years later sold the practice and moved to Plaitford in Hampshire where she bred spaniels. She died in Jamaica in 1937 aged 69 when she was visiting friends. She was passionate about animal health and welfare throughout her life.

Kate and I really appreciated being invited to the conference where we heard from some great speakers including Meta Osborne, the first female President of the Veterinary Council Ireland (RCVS equivalent) who asked the question ‘Are Healthy Horses Happy’ and Dr Temple Grandin, on animal behaviour, autism and looking at the world in pictures.

Brendan Gardiner had asked some local young veterinary surgeons if they had heard of Aleen Cust. They looked at each other, shook their heads and said, nope, she hadn’t been in their year at college.

I am ashamed to say I had never heard of her either until this invitation came through and as I visit the new students at various vet schools over the coming weeks, I shall make sure this next generation know of her.

RCVS Knowledge and Edinburgh University have an amazing collection of historical detail of this story.