Page 24 - VHSA - Onderstepoort 100 Years - Part 3

OND
ERSTEPOORT 100
The oldest item in the library is a copy of Markham’s master- piece of 1717. The Compleat Jockey is actually an independent book, with its own
lengthy subtitle. In
those days all this information
was included on the title page because copies were used as advertisement flyers. This book
is the first English language veterinary manual to be considered a standard work on the subject. Its full title, in the style of those days, is as follows:
‘Markham’s masterpiece: containing all knowledge Belonging to the smith, farrier, or horse-leach: Touching the curing of all diseases in
horse: Drawn with great pains, and appropriate experience, and blicke practice of the best horse-
marshals in Christendom. : Divided into two books: The first containing cures physical; the
2nd, all cures chirurgical. : Together with the nature, use and quality of every simple mentioned through the whole work ... : To
which is added, the exact receipts for curing all diseases in cows, oxen, sheep, hogs, goats, dogs, and all small cattle. : Also the compleat jockey ...’
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spelling is used – it was verified in independent catalogues (see above). In another copy of Markham’s master-piece, the title page is lost. It was replaced by a binders page containing the words: ‘Presented to the Union of South Africa (Veterinary Depart-ment) by J.P. Whyte a Scottish South African Durban 1944’. The book starts on ‘The first book’ and inter alia contains the written words, ‘published 1662’. It is unknown who wrote this. During the research for this chapter, technology allowed a comparison of the copy with a 1662 edition in possession of the Royal Veterinary College, UK. It could be determined that our copy is actually a 1734 edition. Although a widely read work in its time, the content is controversial. The original ‘Maister-peece’ of 1610 was an expanded version of the
veterinary part of the author’s Cavelarice or, The English horseman, first published in 1607. It is based almost entirely on Thomas Blundeville’s The fower chiefyst offices belongyng to horsemanshippe (1st ed., 1565-66). Plagiarism was clearly not uncommon in the earlier centuries.
The second oldest book in our library is dated 1729: The compleat horseman, or, Perfect farrier; in two parts. Part I. Discovering the surest marks of beauty, goodness, faults, and imperfections of horses ... The art of shoeing ... riding and managing the great horse. Part II. Contains the signs and causes of their diseases, with the true method of curing them, written in French by the Sieur de Solleysel. Abridged from the folio done into English by Sir William Hope.
PART 3
1908-2008
Years