An old friend named John came to see me at the end of morning surgery. There was nothing new about this because he had known John for years and he would always show up, a Norfolk Terrier under his arm like a rugby ball, long after the surgery should have ended.
This always made me late because I liked talking to John and hearing his stories of the happy days of veterinary practice – his father had been a horse vet in Newmarket. I could happily spend an hour during a busy day listening to anecdotes about Twink Allen and other famous vets John and his father knew.
Today, however, John had no terrier under his arm. Instead, he was holding a slip of paper with his phone number on it.
“A friend of mine is visiting Yorkshire and he wants to go to lunch with you and your wife,” he said as he placed the paper in my hand. “He is a huge fan and loves your books.” “It’s Peter Rossdale. Call me if you can come. “
If I had to make a list of the greatest veterinarians of the last century, Peter Rossdale would be in the top five. He established the most iconic and famous veterinary practice of all: Rossdale’s in Newmarket.
As a keen student in Cambridge, just down the street from Newmarket, I knew this place very well, but only the best equine students would be accepted to spend a few weeks learning there and only the crème de la crème needed to consider applying. for an internship.
During the first few episodes of The Yorkshire Vet, when we were suddenly exposed to an unexpected level of public comment, the criticism was like, “You shouldn’t do it like this!” Or “why didn’t you do a blood test on that poor cat?”
While they were rare, they were frequent enough to cause me anxiety. But I also received an occasional letter from Dr. Rossdale, and when I felt there was overwhelming public scrutiny about my practice and my practice, receiving positive feedback from a veterinary titan was both humbling and comforting.
Needless to say, when I was invited to a lunchtime meeting with Peter Rossdale, I put everything on hold and, with great enthusiasm, made my way to the excellent Stapylton Arms in Wass.
My old friend John and my new friend Peter, their respective wives, and I enjoyed an excellent meal and talked about all things veterinary, both current and historical. When the coffee was ordered and our delicious meal finished, I posed to Peter the question I had been eager to ask. Of all your amazing accomplishments during your illustrious veterinary career, which one did you consider your most significant achievement?
He hoped his answer would be the discovery of a new diagnostic test for a sick newborn foal or a novel treatment for equine endometritis or something similar. He paused for a moment before giving a discreet reply.
“Well, I guess I was the first vet to embrace and practice the concept of ‘evidence-based medicine.’
Today’s veterinary journals and modern ‘experts’ use this phrase with abandon. It is the mantra of 21st century veterinary practice. But Peter Rossdale had conceived and instigated that way of working many years before his time. I was privileged to have enjoyed a delicious lunch with a great man.
Channel 5’s The Yorkshire Vet continues its twelfth season on Tuesdays at 8pm.
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Source: www.yorkshirepost.co.uk
This notice was published: 2021-05-16 11:08:10
