VETERINARY SCIENCE

Manawatu Standard, Volume LVIII, Issue 52, 29 January 1938, Page 6

VETERINARY SCIENCE

HISTORY TRACED. ADDRESS TO LUNCH CLUB. The speaker at the weekly meeting of the Palmerston North Citizens’ Lunch Club, yesterday, was Mr W. M. Webster, B.Sc., Edin., whose subject was: “What Is a Vetinarian?” The chair was taken by Mr H. E. Kissling, and visitors welcomed were Messrs H. Welton (Wellington) and R. Collins (Palmerston North). Veterinary practice, said the speaker, was used by the Egyptians, but the Greeks gave us the first written information on the subject. Hippocrates and Aristotle both worked quite extensively on the subject, while a Carthaginian (200 8.C.) wrote a treatise ■which extended to 28 books and which was translated into Greek and Latin and was extensively copied and quoted. The Roman work “De Re Rusticata” was regarded as one of the best works of its class of ancient times and dealt not only with medicines and surgery but also sanitary measures for the prevention of contagious diseases in stock. From the Third Century veterinary science had a literature of its own and regular practitioners, especially in the service of the Roman armies. In the Medieval times the art was much cultivated in the military cavalry schools and the first modern veterinary school was established at Lyons, in France, in 1861. By 1890 well-equipped Government veterinary schools had been established by every European country except Great Britain and Greece. The Royal Veterinary Colleg,o London, was founded two years later, in 1892, and 27 years later the Royal Veterinary College was founded in Edinburgh (that being the college at which the speaker had studied), Mr Webster added. At -the present time there were 37 veterinary schools in Europe. Great Britain had five, Canada, Australia, South Africa and India each had their own, and New Zealand was the only Dominion without such training facilities. With the exception of one or two smaller schools, the number of undergraduates at each ranged from 200 upwards. In 1844 the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons received its charter from Queen Vic-

toria, the charter giving legal status to members of the profession. Divers ignorant and incompetent persons had posed as veterinary surgeons in New Zealand until very recent times, the speaker continued. The qualified members of the profession constituted such a small body that it was only 12 years ago that legal status was given them by the passage of the Veterinary Surgeons Bill. Prior to that date anyone could assume the qualification without hindrance and, as a result, some people in New' Zealand had a false impression of what a veterinarian was. Even to-day there W'ore only about 70 veterinarians registred under the Act, in the same way as doctors and dentists w'ere registered. In Great Britain there were betw’een 3000 and 4000 veterinary surgeons on the register, and they were distributed throughout the country much the same as medical men. Of the total in New Zealand half were in the Government service, where they were employed in meat inspection and control of disease.

The speaker touched on the qualifications necessary for a veterinary surgeon and pointed out that a five years’ course of study was necessary at a university college. Five professional examinations had to be passed before the _ diploma could bo gained and, in addition, the majority of candidates today undertook a further year’s study. Tlie course of study for the majority was as thorough as that required of a medical student. The profession looked to prevention rather than cure as its objective, and the methods of immunisation and vaccination were much more successful with stock than W'as the case with man, and in the tropics in particular vast strides had been made. The speaker was accorded a vote of thanks for his address.