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Edward Coleman (veterinary surgeon) facts for kids

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Portrait of Edward Coleman Wellcome L0001495EB
Bust of Edward Coleman

Edward Coleman (born 1766, died 1839) was an important English animal doctor, also known as a veterinary surgeon. He first trained to be a doctor for people. Later, he became the leader of the London Veterinary College when it was quite new.

Edward Coleman's Life Story

Edward Coleman was born in 1766 in a place called Burmarsh, Kent. His father, also named Edward, managed money for a local group. Young Edward started his medical training with a doctor named Dr. Kite. In 1789, he moved to London to study at the Borough School of Medicine. He lived with the family of Henry Cline, who was a surgeon at Guy's Hospital.

During his training, Edward Coleman studied how people stop breathing. He even won an award for a paper he wrote about how to help people breathe again. This paper was published in 1791. That same year, he started working as a surgeon in London.

Edward Coleman became very interested in how animal eyes are built. In 1793, he became a professor at the London Veterinary College. This was surprising because he didn't know much about animal medicine at first. He stayed in this job for many years and lived near the college. He also visited Woolwich Hospital once a week.

In 1796, he got a big job. He became the main animal doctor for the British Army's horses. This made him the very first head of the Army Veterinary Service. He stopped working for the Artillery in 1816. However, he remained the main animal doctor for the entire Army until he passed away.

He became a member of the Royal Society on June 9, 1831. This is a very old and respected group for scientists.

Edward Coleman married Sarah Slack. He died on July 14, 1839, from health problems. He was buried in a churchyard in Hampstead Road.

What Edward Coleman Wrote

Edward Coleman wrote several important books and papers about medicine and animals:

  • A dissertation on suspended respiration, from drowning, hanging, and suffocation (1791): This book was about how to help people who had stopped breathing from drowning or other causes.
  • Observations on the Structure, OEconomy, and Diseases of the Foot of the Horse (1798, 1802): These books were about how a horse's foot is built, how it works, and common diseases. They also talked about how to shoe horses.
  • Observations on the formation and uses of the natural frog of the horse (1800): This book explained the "frog" part of a horse's hoof. It also described a special artificial frog he invented to help with hoof problems.

He also wrote articles for Rees's Cyclopædia, which was a large encyclopedia. He likely wrote about topics related to animal health.

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