Aleen Cust

Who was Aleen Cust?

Aleen Isobel Cust was the first female veterinary surgeon to practice in the British Isles. She completed her veterinary studies at the Veterinary College in Edinburgh in 1897, but was denied permission to sit the final examination. She practised in Co. Roscommon, Ireland with William Augustine Byrne MRCVS and lived at Castelstrange House, Athleague. The Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons in London did not recognise her right to practice in her own right in the Britain until 1922. This followed the enactment of the Sex Disqualification Act 1919. She died in Jamaica on 29 January 1937.