History of Veterinary medicine

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History of Veterinary medicine
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• Humans have always found animals interesting,
  amazing companions and in ancient times they were
  considered messengers from the gods.

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• Chinese records dating to 4000-3000BC record the
  use of herbs in both humans and animals.
• Egyptian hieroglyphics (3500 BC) show many types
  of domesticated animals.

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• However, the oldest account dealing with the
  healing of animals dates back to Mesopotamia in
  about 300 BC !
• The first person to be considered a veterinarian
  is Urlagaldinna

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• Alcmaeon, a Greek scientist (500 BC) was the
  first person known to dissect animals for
  scientific purposes.
• Records also show that animal hospitals were
  established in India during the reign of King
  Ashoka (273-232 BC)

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• Aristotle (384-322 BC) was instrumental in the
  development of the scientific classification of
  animals that we now know as taxonomy.

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• A Roman scholar, Columella, from the first
  Century AD wrote 12 volumes on the topic of
  animal care and breeding.
• Columella was the first person to record and use
  the term veterinarius for a person who is a
  caretaker of pigs, sheep and cattle.

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• The Middle Ages produced many references to
  animal plagues and the devastation caused to the
  farmers.
• During this time animal medicine was approached
  from the human medicine aspect.

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• In 1762, the first veterinary school in the world
  was established by Claude Bourgelat in Lyons,
  France!!
• After the French school opened many others
  followed during the 1770s Sweden, Germany,
  Denmark and Austria.

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• 1844 saw the founding of the Royal College of
  Veterinary Surgeons (RCVS) in Great Britain.
• The first veterinary college in the United States
  was established until 1879.

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• Until the 1770s the veterinary profession
  consisted of self-declared practitioners,
  farriers, blacksmiths, herdsmen and local witch
  doctors.
• People also believed that animals were put on
  earth to serve humans therefore animals could not
  feel pain the way humans could.

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• However, a Scotsman, John Hunter changed the face
  of animal medicine. He practiced surgery and
  dissection.
• He contributed more written work on veterinary
  medicine than anyone had in the previous 125
  years!

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• Animal Care in the New World
• European cattle were brought to Florida in 1520
  by Ponce de Leon.
• However, animals did not arrive in the Virginia
  colonies until 1611.
• There are references to an expert cow doctor
  practicing in Virginia as early as 1625

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• Records show that dogs were present on the
  Mayflower. Some scholars suspect that goats and
  chickens were also on board. However there were
  no cattle or horses present.
• The larger animals were not brought to the
  northern colonies until 1620.

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• With the advent of the microscope in the 1800s
  research exploded in the identification of
  disease in both humans and animals.
• Knowledge was spread through scholarly journals
  and travel by the elite to Europe. Gentlemen
  farmers tried the new products and methods
  discovered during this time period.

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• British surgeon, turned veterinarian, George Dadd
  is considered the author of the first two
  classics in American veterinary literature
• The Modern Horse Doctor (1854) and The
  American Cattle Doctor (1851).

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• The Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons was
  founded by a Royal Charter in 1844.
• The school required 5 years of study
• Two years of veterinary sciences to understand
  healthy animals, anatomy, physiology
• Three years of clinical skills such as
  examinations and diagnosis

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• The American Veterinary Medical Association was
  founded in 1863.
• The U.S. Livestock Sanitary Association (now the
  U.S. Animal Health Association) was established
  in 1897.
• The first United States veterinary school was
  established in 1879 at Iowa State University.
  The program was graduate study course.

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• The 20th century saw many advances in veterinary
  medicine.
• The USDA Animal and Plant Health Inspection
  Service began to employ veterinary officers.
• Duties included control and eradication of
  major epidemic farm animal diseases, animal
  welfare, education, etc.

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• After World War I, horses were used less for farm
  work due to the advent of automated agriculture.
• Many veterinarians began to focus their practice
  on dogs and cats. Until this period, small
  animals had been a minor part in veterinary
  medicine.

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• Over the next 30 years, veterinary medicine grew
  quickly in the United States soon reaching equal
  status with the medical community.
• Note In 1947, the Association for Women
  Veterinarians was founded by Mary Knight Dunlap
  in the United States. At that time, the U.S. had
  about 120 women veterinarians, mostly around New
  York City and East Lansing, Michigan.

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• Information taken from
• www.nal.usda.gov/awic/pubs/VetHistory/vethistory.h
  tm
• Information Resources on Veterinary History at
  the national Agricultural Library
• AWIC Resource Series No. 29
• February 2005