Veterinary science

Veterinary science is the prevention and cure of disease and injuries in animals.

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HISTORY

Veterinary medicine may have been established as a specialty as early as 2000 BC in Babylonia and Egypt. An Egyptian document dated around 1800 BC contains descriptions of treatments for birds, cattle, dogs and fish. Because these ancient cultures considered the animals sacred, the practice of veterinary science was often limited to external observations only.

It was not until the time of the ancient Greeks, a thousand years later, that the practice of veterinary medicine became a science based on experimentation and observation.

Hippiatrica is a Byzantine veterinary compilation of ancient Greek texts  dedicated to the care and healing of the horse. The texts were probably compiled in the 5th or 6th century AD by an unknown editor. Below is written and illustrated instructions in Hippiatrica on drenching a horse to induce diarrhea.

After the fall of the Roman Empire, veterinary science went into a sharp decline. For the next 1,300 years, the practice of treating animals tended to focus on horses because of their economic significance. In the Middle Ages, farriers or horseshoers combined their work in horseshoeing with the more general task of "horse doctoring."

Rinderpest, also known as cattle plague, was a highly contagious viral disease that devastated cattle populations in Europe during the 18th and 19th centuries. The outbreak of rinderpest led to the establishment of veterinary colleges and schools in Europe and other parts of the world, as efforts were made to develop measures to control and prevent the spread of the disease.

The world's first veterinary school was founded in Lyon, France in 1762, by French veterinarian Claude (March  27, 1712 – January 3, 1779) . Bourgelat's school was dedicated to the training of veterinarians to care for both farm animals and horses, and it became a model for similar institutions around the world. Today, Lyon's veterinary school is part of the University of Lyon and is one of the oldest and most prestigious veterinary schools in the world.

Claude Bourgelat

UK's first college for veterinary surgeons opened with just four students in St Pancras Fields, in London's Camden Town in 1792.

In the United States, the first schools were established in the early 19th century in Boston, New York and Philadelphia.

In 1996 Synbiotics Corporation of Rancho Bernardo, California, became the first U.S. company to extend group health-care coverage to its 60 employees' family pets, including dogs, cats, and horses.

FAMOUS VETS

John Dunlop studied to be a veterinary surgeon at the University of Edinburgh's Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies, graduating in 1860. In 1867, he moved to Ireland where he established Downe Veterinary Clinic in Downpatrick with his brother James Dunlop before moving to a practice in 38-42 May Street, Belfast.

Dunlop was a flourishing veterinary surgeon when in 1888 he obtained patents on a pneumatic tire for bicycles.

Aleen Isobel Cust (February 7, 1868 –January 29, 1937) was the first female veterinary surgeon to be recognised by the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons in Ireland and the United Kingdom.

Following the death of her father in 1878, Cust's guardian encouraged her to pursue an education and funded her attendance at the New Edinburgh Veterinary College.  As her mother was acting as a Woman of the Bedchamber to Queen Victoria, Cust enrolled under the name A.I. Custance to avoid any embarrassment for her family.

Cust completed her veterinary studies in 1897, but was denied permission to sit the final examination and consequently not be admitted as a member of Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons (RCVS). She nevertheless went on to practice in County Roscommon with William Augustine Byrne MRCVS. Later, she volunteered at the front lines of World War II treating horses

The Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons in London did not recognize Cust's right to practice in her own right in Britain until 1922 following the enactment of the Sex Disqualification (Removal) Act 1919.

Aleen Isobel Cust

Suzanne Morrow (nee Francis), was part of the first Canadian figure skating pair to win both Olympic and World medals. She was also the first ice skater to perform the modern day ‘death spiral’ in an international competition. Morrow graduated veterinary school in 1952 and served as a vet until her retirement 43 years later.

James Herriot was the nom de plume of James Alfred Wight (October 3, 1916 – February 23, 1995), an English veterinary surgeon and writer, who used his many years of experiences as a vet in the Yorkshire Dales to write a series of books each consisting of stories about animals and their owners. He is best known for these semi-autobiographical works, beginning with If Only They Could Talk in 1970, which spawned a series of movies and television series.

Below is part of the BBC television set for All Creatures Great and Small on permanent display at the World of James Herriot museum in Thirsk, North Yorkshire.

Peter Ostrum, who played Charlie in Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory, never took another film role and instead found a career as a vet. He did not speak publicly about the movie for nearly twenty years, and for several years even his wife did not know about his role.

Laura Muir is a Scottish middle distance runner and a qualified vet. She juggled her veterinary medicine studies at the University of Glasgow and placements with her athletics training before passing her final exams in 2018.

FUN VETERINARY SCIENCE FACTS

Overweight pets can suffer from arthritis, diabetes, hypertension and many other problems.

Veterinarians say obesity is the most common health problem they see in pet parrots today.

Petting a dog lowers blood pressure and reduces stress.

Canned pumpkin is often recommended by veterinarians as a dietary supplement for dogs and cats that are experiencing certain digestive ailments such as constipation, diarrhoea, or hairballs. The high fiber content helps to aid proper digestion.

Cats will usually stop purring when they hear water running.  This is a trick used by veterinarians who need the cat to stop purring long enough to hear their heart and lungs.

Spayed females live around 40% longer and neutered males live over 60% longer than cats that haven’t had the procedure.

Veterinarians kill themselves at approx. three times the general population, due in part to online trolling and threats from pet owners who blame them for the death of a pet, and easy access to lethal medicines

Source Compton's Encyclopedia