‘Outstanding diagnostician’ delivers 2009 RCVS Share Jones Lecture

Dr Sue Dyson, “one of the outstanding diagnosticians of the era”, delivered the prestigious 2009 RCVS Share Jones Lecture to a full house at the University of Nottingham’s School of Veterinary Medicine and Science last month, on the subject of diagnosing equine lameness.

Her hour-long address, entitled ‘Looking and seeing: the art of equine lameness diagnosis’, was well received by the 150-strong audience, which included RCVS President Professor Sandy Trees, Nottingham Vet School Dean Professor Gary England, together with other clinical staff and students from Nottingham, and veterinary surgeons from the local area.

RCVS Council member Dr Barry Johnson, who nominated Dr Dyson for the lectureship and was also in the audience, described her as “one of the outstanding diagnosticians of the era, with an immense knowledge of anatomy”.

In introducing Dr Dyson to the audience, Sandy Trees said: “Not only is Sue a distinguished equine veterinarian, but she is a rider herself and has competed in eventing and show jumping at the very highest level; she has produced at least three horses which have competed in European, World and Olympic Games.”

Using an extensive range of photographs, diagnostic images and videos to illustrate her lecture, Dr Dyson explained the fundamental importance of a sound knowledge of anatomy both clinically, when using observation and palpation for diagnosis, and in underpinning the logical interpretation of various imaging modalities.

Some of the cases presented involved lameness problems in cob horses, ie those of sturdy conformation (body shape and structure) that historically were used as draught animals but these days are more generally used for everyday riding.

Lameness cases in sports horses were also addressed, although one of Dr Dyson’s overall messages in all diagnoses was the importance of considering body conformation, whatever the horse type.

“I believe very strongly that conformation can be a predictor of injury, and that it’s very important for us as veterinary surgeons to look at conformation and understand the conformational aspects of what we observe,” she said.

Local equine veterinary surgeon Gemma Lamble, of the Scarsdale Veterinary Group in Derby, had heard about the lecture by word of mouth. “One our partners did an internship with Sue Dyson and recommended we all go along,” she said. “The talk was really interesting and included a broad range of conditions that we commonly come across. It was also useful to see problems in non-thoroughbreds,as we see a wide variety of breed types on a day-to-day basis.

“All the videos and pictures Sue used were really informative, and showed things you might see but not necessarily consider further. I’m hoping to pick up more things in my examinations from now on!” added Gemma.

Concluding her lecture, Dr Dyson returned to the importance of the clinical examination and her theme of ‘looking and seeing’, which she believed to be the art of lameness diagnosis. “Observation, palpation [and] logical thinking can lead to the diagnosis of equine lameness, but only with the knowledge of anatomy, and we keep having to ask questions: what, why and how? And then we’ll all continue to keep learning,” she said.

The RCVS Share Jones Lectureship, in its 50^th year, is bestowed biennially upon a lecturer of special eminence in veterinary anatomy. John Share Jones, in whose name the lectureship was established, was instrumental in developing the teaching of anatomy at the Liverpool School of Veterinary Medicine since its foundation in 1904.