A Quick History of Veterinary Medicine

November 4, 2014

vet history bainbridgeBy Linda Cole

Modern day veterinarians have an essential role in the health and welfare of our pets, as well as
livestock and wildlife. Vets are well-versed in the science of animal health, and they promote public
health by identifying and combating infectious zoonotic diseases that can be passed from animals to
humans. Advances in medical science have provided veterinary professionals with sophisticated
equipment, tests, procedures and medicines to treat our pets. However, the history of veterinary
science dates back much further than you may realize.

The first known people to dabble in the field of veterinary medicine began around 9000 BC in Middle
East countries including Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Iran, Turkey and Iraq. Sheepherders had a crude
understanding of medical skills which were used to treat their dogs and other animals. From 4000 to
3000 BC, Egyptians took earlier medical skills and made further advancements. Historical records and
Egyptian hieroglyphs record how they used herbs to treat and promote good health in domesticated
animals.

Vedic literature, which was written around 1500 BC, refers to four sacred texts from India written in the
Sanskrit language that forms the basis of the Hindu religion. The Kahun Papyrus from Egypt dates back
to 1900 BC. Both texts are likely the first written accounts of veterinary medicine. One of the sacred
texts documents India’s first Buddhist king, Asoka, who ensured there were two kinds of medicine: one
for humans and one for animals. If he discovered there was no medicine available for one or the other,
he ordered healing herbs to be bought and planted where they were needed.

The Kahun Papyrus is the oldest known papyrus medical text. It’s divided into 34 sections that deal with
specific topics. One of the topics is animal gynecology. Tomb drawings predating the Kahun Papyrus by a
couple thousand years document early Egyptian Cat-Animatedunderstanding of gynecology. Trained
specialists were skilled obstetricians and given the name of “overseer of cattle.” They were charged with
examining cattle, attending to pregnancies, and the birthing of calves to ensure their health and survival.

Archaeologists found fragments of a papyrus that was a medical textbook from somewhere around 1850
BC, indicating that Egyptians were familiar with the anatomy of animals, could recognize early warning
signs of certain diseases in dogs, birds, fish and cattle, and used specific treatments to deal with them.
The Romans, Greeks, Babylonians, Hindus, Arabs and Hebrews also practiced animal medicine. A man
named Urlugaledinna, who lived in Mesopotamia in 3000 BC, was considered an expert in his ability to
heal animals. Around 500 BC, a Greek scientist named Alcmaeon dissected animals to study them.

Early attempts to regulate and organize the treatment of animals were mainly focused on horses
because of their economic importance to society. During the Middle Ages, farriers combined their trade
of horseshoeing with general horse doctoring. When the Lord Mayor of London, which is different from
the Mayor of London, learned about the poor care horses in London were receiving in 1356, he
persuaded all farriers within a seven mile radius of the city to form a fellowship to improve and regulate
how they treated horses. The fellowship led to the creation in 1674 of the Worshipful Company of
Farriers.

The first veterinary school was founded in Lyon, France in 1761 by Claude Bourgelat, and that’s when
the profession of veterinary medicine officially began. The school focused on studying the anatomy and
diseases of sheep, horses and cattle in an effort to combat cattle deaths from a plague in France. Cattle
plagues were common throughout history, but attempts to learn how to fight microorganisms had to
wait until the invention of the microscope sometime in the 1590s. The first vaccinations for cattle were
developed in 1712 and used to eradicate a plague in Europe.

Over the next ten years, veterinary schools were established in Germany, Sweden and Denmark. In
1791, the London Veterinary College was established and developed vet history anneveterinary science
at a professional level dedicated to animal medicine. The wellbeing and health of horses was their initial
focus for years, because of the use of horses in the Army. Eventually they turned their attention to cattle
and other livestock, and finally added dogs and other animals.

The first veterinary school established in the United States was the Veterinary College of Philadelphia in
1852, which operated until 1866. In 1883, the School of Veterinary Medicine at the University of
Pennsylvania was established and is the oldest accredited veterinary school still in operation. The
American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) was established in 1863, and the Bureau of Animal
Industry under the USDA was set up in 1884 and in operation until 1900. Its purpose was to protect the
public from infectious diseases through contaminated meat, eradicate diseases in animals and improve
the quality of livestock.

Top photo by Bainbridge Bethesda/Flickr

Bottom photo by Anne Worner/Flickr

History of veterinary medicine in the Philippines

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Filipino veterinary physician Dr. Alejandrino S. Quizon, Colombo Plan Fellow and a research veterinarian
with the Laboratory Services Division of the Philippines Bureau of Animal Industries, was photographed
in 1959 while he was nearing the end of a four-month Australian tour during which he had been
studying cattle diseases. In the picture above, Dr. Quizon prepares to carry out a blood test while being
assisted by two bacteriologists from the Queensland Animal Research Institute, namely Mr. G. C.
Simmons, standing at rear, and Mr. C. G. Ludford, on the left.

Part of a series on the

History of the Philippines

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Prehistory (pre-900)

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Archaic epoch (900–1521)

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Colonial period (1521–1946)

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Post-colonial period (1946–1986)

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Contemporary history (1986–present)

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Archaeology

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The history of veterinary medicine in the Philippines discusses the history of veterinary medicine as a
profession in the Philippines. Its history in the Philippines began in 1828,[1] while the Philippines was
still a colony of Spain,[1] progressing further during the time when the Philippines became a territory of
the United States, until the establishment of the Philippines as an independent Republic in the modern-
day era.
Contents

1 Spanish era (1521–1898)

2 American era (1898–1946)

2.1 Veterinary functions

2.2 Philippine Veterinary Medical Association

2.3 First veterinary school

2.4 Curriculum

2.5 Veterinary regulation board

2.6 Pioneer veterinarians

2.7 Military veterinarians

2.8 Filipino veterinary officials

3 Independent Philippine-Republics era (1946-present)

3.1 Other veterinary schools

3.2 Regulation and ethics

3.3 Veterinary organizations

4 See also

5 References

6 Bibliography

7 External links

Spanish era (1521–1898)

Although there was a Spanish Royal Decree that was issued on May 31, 1828 assigning that there should
be one veterinarian for the Philippine islands (a number later increased to two veterinarians in 1843),[1]
the highlight of the history of veterinary medicine in the Philippines was in 1888, when the need to
investigate the occurrence of the Rinderpest epizootic (cattle plague) in the Philippine islands
emerged.[2] The cattle plague that affected the cow and carabao (water buffalo) population between
Manila and Bulacan were caused by sick animals that were imported from Indochina and Hong Kong.
The Commission assigned to perform the investigation was appointed by Don Benigno Quiroga y
Ballesteros, the Director General of the Administraction Civil de Filipinas (Civil Administration of the
Philippines) during that time. The Commission was composed of an army veterinarian, a pharmacist, and
a medical doctor. The army veterinarian and head of the Commission was Don Gines Geis y Gotzens. The
pharmacist was Don Anacleto del Rosario y Sales, who at the time was the Director of the Laboratorio
Municipal de Manila (Municipal Laboratory of Manila). The physician was Don Francisco Masip, an
official in-charge of public health. The 1888 cattle plague (also known as steppe murrain) prompted the
need for the services of veterinarians in the Philippines, including those from the ranks (commissioned
officers) of the Spanish Army. The effects of the plague lasted from 1888 through 1939, meaning it
moved on from Spanish period up to the American period in the history of the Philippines.[2] From 1901
to 1902 alone, more than 600,000 cattle and water buffaloes were killed by the disease.[1]

American era (1898–1946)

Veterinary functions

American occupation of the Philippines began in 1898.[1] During the American period in Philippine
history (1898-1946), the American government established the a veterinary department in 1899, a part
of the Board of Health, the office that was in-charge of public health and safety.[1] The government of
the United States sent groups of American veterinary doctors to the Philippines to function as inspectors
of cattle imported through Manila, as inspectors of both locally butchered and imported beef, as
caretakers of the health of animals owned by the government (including the horses of American
soldiers), and as sanitary inspectors of public and private stables. In 1899, 60 civilian American
veterinarians were working hand-in-hand with the United States Army's Veterinary Corps.[2] In 1905,
the veterinary department was placed under the management of the Bureau of Agriculture (known at
present as the Bureau of Animal Industry).[1]

Philippine Veterinary Medical Association

On September 7, 1907, the Philippine Veterinary Medical Association (PVMA) was established by a
group composed of veterinarians from the US Army and veterinarians from the Insular Government. At
the time, the acting Chief Veterinarian was Dr. C.M. Richards, and the chief of the Animal Husbandry
Division was Dr. Frank C. Gearhart.[2]

First veterinary school

In 1908, the College of Veterinary Science of the University of the Philippines was founded. On
September 1, 1910, Dr. George E. Nesom, the first president of the Philippine Veterinary Medical
Association (PVMA) and who was also the first Director of the Bureau of Agriculture was appointed as
the chairman of the Committee on Forage and Committee on Beef, a committee that was a component
of the Board of Officers of the Civil Government of the Philippines and the United States Army.[2]
The UP College of Veterinary Science (later became known as the UP College of Veterinary Medicine)
started to offer classes in 1910.[1] Its first dean was Archibald Ward, an American veterinarian licensed
to practice in the Philippines. Two other Americans after Ward became deans of the college. The college
was first housed in Pandacan, Manila, which was later transferred to the Barlett Building built in Diliman,
Quezon City (the Barlett Building was named after Murray Barlett, the first president of the University of
the Philippines), before the college was moved to its current location in Los Baños, Laguna. The
Veterinary Teaching Hospital (VTH) stayed in Diliman, Quezon City.[1] From 1910 to 1960, the UP
College of Veterinary Science was the only school of veterinary medicine in the Philippines. Between
1910 and 1960, the college produced 450 veterinarians.[1] Among them was Dr. Teodulio Topacio, Sr.
Topacio, Sr. was one of the first four Filipinos to enroll in and graduated from the UP College of
Veterinary Science.[1]

Curriculum

The curriculum of the college for the Doctor of Veterinary Medicine (DVM) course started as a five-year
education program. It became a four-year course in 1920. It became a six-year course in 1926 due to the
combination of two degrees, namely the Bachelor of Science in Agriculture and the degree in Doctor of
Veterinary Medicine. In 1960, the BS degree in Agriculture was removed but the course remained as a
six-year program. The first two years of the 1960 program was pre-veterinary education involving
studies of the liberal arts and the natural sciences, followed by a four-year intensive veterinary training
studies.[1]

Veterinary regulation board

As of February 11, 1913, the practice of veterinary medicine in the Philippines was being regulated by
Public Act No. 2245, and resulted in the creation of the Veterinary Examining Board. The Veterinary
Examining Board begun to function on November 4, 1913. The board was composed of appointees
chosen by the Governor-General and was supervised administratively by the Director of Agriculture.[2]
The board was later managed by the Department of Agriculture and Commerce because of Public Act
No. 4007, transferring the authority to appoint board members to its Department Secretary.[2]

Pioneer veterinarians

By 1914, apart from the first graduates of the UP College of Veterinary Science which included Dr.
Teodulio Topacio, Sr., other Filipinos started to become active in the field of veterinary medicine in the
Philippines. Some of them graduated from schools of medicine in the United States, such as Dr. Victor A.
Buencamino (a graduate from the New York State College of Veterinary Medicine at Cornell University,
1911), Dr. Vicente G. Ferriols (a graduate from the Iowa State College of Agriculture and Mechanic Arts,
1912), Dr. Ventura T. Gatchalian, and Dr. Sixto N. Almeda Carlos (a graduate from The San Francisco
Veterinary College, 1916). A Spaniard veterinarian residing in the Philippines, Mariano Juan Francisco
Muñoz y Tomen, was also active in the Philippines in 1914.[2] Some Filipino veterinarians stayed in the
Philippines to practice their profession. Others migrated to the United States, Australia, and other
countries that has a demand for their services.[1]

Military veterinarians

In 1916, the veterinarian members of the Veterinary Corps of the US Army assigned to the Philippines
were given military ranks (they previously did not have ranks in the US Army) and thus became
commissioned military officers through the efforts of Dr. William Proctor Hill, the president of PVMA
from 1910 to 1911. Dr. Hill, a graduate from the Ontario Veterinary College in Canada, was an advocate
for the "regulation of the practice of veterinary medicine and surgery" in the Philippines.[2]

Filipino veterinary officials

From 1907 to 1917, the PVMA were managed by American officials only. In 1918, two Filipinos (Dr.
Victor A. Buencamino as vice-president and Dr. Sixto N. Almeda Carlos as treasure) became officers of
the PVMA.[2] In 1919, all officers of the PVMA were Filipinos: Dr. Victor A. Buencamino became the
PVMA president while Dr. Vicente G. Ferriols became the vice-president; the two other Filipino PVMA
officers elected were Dr. Angel K. Gomez (as secretary) and Dr. Santiago B. Montemayor (as
treasurer).[2]

Independent Philippine-Republics era (1946-present)

Other veterinary schools

The Philippines became an independent nation on July 4, 1946.[3] In the 1970s, there were already
three veterinary schools in the Philippines. Apart from the first College of Veterinary Science that was
established by the University of the Philippines in 1908, the other two were the veterinary colleges of
the University of Eastern Philippines and of the Araneta University.[1]

Regulation and ethics

During the years of the Fifth Philippine Republic (1986–present), the regulatory law called Public Act No.
2245 of 1913 was replaced by Philippine Republic Act No. 3892 on February 23, 1992. RA No. 3892 had
also become known as the An Act to Regulate the Practice of Veterinary Medicine and Surgery in the
Philippines. The Philippine Veterinary Medical Association that was founded in 1907 became an
incorporation and became known as Philippine Veterinary Medical Association, Inc. On February 23,
1992 when the PMVA, Inc. ratified the Code of Ethics that should be followed by veterinary medicine
professionals in the Philippines. The first members of the Philippine veterinary medicine Board of Ethics
were Dr. Santiago Y. Rotea, Dr. Faustino Turla, and Dr. Anacleto B. Coronel, with Dr. Rotea functioning as
chairman of the board.[4]

Veterinary organizations
Several chapters of PVMA, Inc. had been established as the profession of veterinary medicine
progressed during the period of modern-day Philippines. There had been a number of veterinary
associations that become affiliates to PVMA, Inc. The first association to be affiliated to PVMA, Inc. was
the Cebu Veterinary Medical Society, founded in November 1963 and was then headed by Dr. Nestor R.
Alonzo as its president while seconded by Dr. Rosalio C. Mandin as vice-president.[2]

From 1974 onward, there had been other independent veterinary organizations that affiliated
themselves with PVMA, Inc. Among them were the City Veterinarians League (CVL, established in 1975),
the Veterinary Practitioners Association of the Philippines (VPAP, established in 1972, formerly known as
the Veterinary Private Practitioners Association when it was founded by private veterinary medicine
practitioners), the Veterinary Women's League (VWL, established in 1973, which later became known as
the Philippine Veterinary Women's Association, PVWA), the Philippine Animal Hospital Association
(PAHA, established in 1978) and the Philippine Society of Veterinary Diagnosticians (PSVD, registered
with PVMA, Inc. in 1981), the Veterinary Quarantine Officers of the Philippines (VQOP, established in
1986), and the Davao Veterinary Private Practitioners Association (DVPPA, established in 1984).[2]

See also