HISTORY OF VETERINARY SCIENCE

WE WILL DISCUSS SOME OF THE DETAILS WE DO KNOW: THERE IS VERY LITTLE TRULY KNOWN ABOUT THE HISTORY OF VETERINARY SCIENCE

WHAT DO YOU THINK?  1710  1922  1825 BC  2010

1825 BC

THE KALUN PAPYRUS  Collection of Ancient Egyptian texts found in tombs dating back to 1825 B.C.  Egyptian writings report they used herbs to treat animals. There was a distinct difference between human and animals.  Possible basic understanding of animal anatomy and disease  Trained specialists were skilled obstetricians and given the name of “overseer of cattle”

2500B.C.

ANCIENT DOCTORS  Other reports indicate:  Ancient medical practitioners worked on both human and animals.  Primarily of transport and farm animals  Ancient practitioners knew every little of animal disease or animal anatomy  Knowledge was scarce until the 17 th and 18 th Centuries when a series of animal plagues struck Europe

1710  Cattle plague was first documented as a “disease”  European governing agencies compensated farmers for destruction of infected animals  European government began supporting veterinary research  The first recorded animal anatomy and disease study  First vaccine developed in 1712

WHY DID THE GOVERNMENT HELP IN 17 TH CENTURY?  Economy  England was struck by four separate plagues in the 1700s

VETERINARY MEDICINE  1761  First college in Lyon, France opened by Claude Bourgelat  Primary focus was on farm animals  Over the next 10yrs private schools in Germany, Sweden and Denmark began researching veterinary science

UNITED STATES  Veterinary College of Philadelphia  1883 School of Veterinary Medicine at University of Pennsylvania Currently still open Oldest veterinary program in the US  1863 AVMA (American Veterinary Medical Association)