Share Jones Lecture 2005 - Engineering the racehorse: the anatomy of athleticism

There are still a few tickets remaining for the Share Jones Lecture taking place on Tuesday 1 November 2005 at the University of Liverpool. If you would like to attend, please contact the RCVS Education Department to order your free ticket ([email protected] or telephone 020 7202 0791).

In his lecture entitled "Engineering the racehorse: the anatomy of athleticism", Dr Alan Wilson, to whom RCVS Council awarded the Share Jones Lectureship last October, will discuss how the racehorse is adapted for high speed exercise, the injuries it suffers and what limits athletic performance; he will also compare the racehorse to other athletic species.

After qualifying from Glasgow in 1987, Dr Wilson undertook a PhD in the Anatomy Department at Bristol Veterinary School. Since 1996 he has been at the RVC where he is a reader in Locomotor Biomechanics (now a joint appointment with University College London).

He is head of RVC's Structure and Motion Laboratory - a group of about 20 academics interested in mechanics of animal locomotion and animal design across a range of species including humans - and is also head of the Centre for Human Performance at UCL.

Previous Share Jones Lecturer Professor Neil Stickland of the RVC described Dr Wilson as, "an internationally-recognised leader in the biomechanics of locomotion, whose recent papers in Nature have attracted much worldwide interest and acclaim".

The Liverpool School of Veterinary Medicine was founded in 1904 and John Share Jones was appointed to a lectureship in anatomy at the school that same year. In 1919, Share Jones was appointed as professor of veterinary anatomy - the first permanent veterinary-related university chair - and remained at Liverpool until his retirement in 1938. After his death in 1950, RCVS established the Share Jones Lectureship under the terms of his estate, biannually appointing a lecturer of special eminence in veterinary anatomy in its widest sense.

The Liverpool school celebrated its centenary in 2004 and to mark the occasion and its links with Professor Share Jones, Professor Sandy Trees, the current Dean, has kindly offered to host the 2005 Share Jones Lecture.

The Lecture will be given at 6.30pm in the Sherrington Lecture Theatre, with admission from 6.00pm. Guests will be invited to join Dr Wilson and the RCVS President and Officers in the foyer for refreshments afterwards.