1 Unit - General Medicine

History and Scope of Veterinary

Medicine

Presented by Dr. Mahaveer

Suresha
Assistant Professor
Veterinary Medicine
• Oldest document of Veterinary Medicine - Code of Hammurabi
(1700 BC)
• Hippocrates (5th century BC) - Father of human medicine -
proposed the concept of clinical or bed side medicine.
• Greek physicians proposed humoral theory for diseases.
• In Greece - A class of people known as “Haippiathri” (Horse
doctors)
• Romans - Vargil mentioned about animal plague which was
nothing but Anthrax.
• Hippiatrika - First comprehensive work in veterinary medicine.
• France - Devastating outbreak of Rinderpest (1710-1714). This
paved the way for the
• Establishment of first veterinary school at Lyons (1761)
• 1191 - Founding of London veterinary college
• 1853 - First veterinary school in North America at Mexico
• Renatus Vegetius (450-500 AD) - Father of veterinary medicine
• Father of Chinese Veterinary Medicine - Shun Yang
• Galen (130-210 AD) - insisted that animal for food should go
through ante mortem examination
• Sir William Osier (1849 - 1919) - Father of clinical veterinary
medicine – book. The principles and practice of medicine
• 1816 - French physician Rene Lanennec devises the
stethoscope
• 1845 - Francis Rynd an Irish physician developed the
hypodermic needle.
• In India during Vedic period, people were concerned about the
management, diagnosis and treatment of diseases of animals.
• In ancient India, animal treatment was mostly confined to
“Ayurveda”
• King Asoka (250 BC) - established veterinary hospitals manned
by veterinarian
• Salihotri - was the term used for horse doctors.
• Famous animal doctors like Vaisampayana, Nakula and
Palakapya wrote Sanskrit treatise on animals.
• First Army veterinary school started at Pooha in the year 1862.
• Cattle plague commission of India in 1869.
• First civil Veterinary school - Babugarh in 1877
• First Veterinary College - at Lahore 1882
• Veterinary College at Bombay 1886
• Veterinary College at Calcutta 1893
• Veterinary College at Madras 1903
• First Veterinary College in Kerala at Mannuthy 1955
• Now there are 44 Veterinary Colleges in India (as per VCI)
• First Veterinary University - Tamilnadu Veterinary and Animal
Sciences University 1989
• Now there are ten Veterinary Universities in India.
• Veterinary Council of India established in 1984
 Scope of Veterinary Medicine
• Veterinary Medicine is that division of medical science which
deals with the diagnosis, treatment, prevention and general
study of the diseases of animals, especially domesticated ones.
• Veterinary therapeutics is the subject which concerns the
treatment of disease in the domesticated animals. In its wide
sense it embraces not only the application of the medicinal
agents, vaccines and sera, for this purpose, but it also includes
such important ancillaries as hygiene, dietetics and care,
management and nursing of sick animals.
• Medicine which deals with the diseases of the farm animals is
termed as “farm animal medicines”. Medicine which deals with
the diseases of pet animals is termed as “Companion animal
medicine”.
• Clinical veterinary Medicine (bed side medicine, internal
medicine, curative medicine) is that branch which covers the art
of making a correct diagnosis and extends the remedial and
curative measures against diseases of animals.
• Preventive Veterinary Medicine is that which ensures the
measures to maintain the health when the disease is imminent.
It deals with all measures to control and prevent animal
diseases.
• Health indicates physical, physiological and mental well being of
an individual / animal.
1. State Government
a) Veterinary Hospitals / Primary Veterinary Centers
b) Organised State Farms for managing livestock farms.
c) Semen collection Banks/Sperm collection Stations – where quality bulls or males
are kept. Semen is collected and processed for artificial insemination.
d) Poultry Farms – for managing egg farms, hatcheries, chick rearing units.
e) Meat / Milk / Animal products processing plants– for supervising of hygienic
collection & distribution of milk or meat or other animal products meant to be
consumed by human.
f) Polyclinics – where specialised service like surgery, special diagnostics,
specialised treatment etc. is given.
g) Disease investigation centers or Disease diagnostic centers – These are
established by government and job in such centers is to survey disease profile and
investigate any occurrence of a major disease, zoonoses, epidemics etc.
h) Biological products or vaccine institutions – prepare quality control & distribute
vaccines & biologicals.
i) Disease eradication schemes/ check posts/vaccination camps.
j) Public health labs – investigation of disease transmissible from animals to man
and vice versa.
2. Centralised Sectors
a) Remount Veterinary Corps – RVC – In army / armed forces there are posts or jobs for
veterinarians to train and look after Horses, dogs camel etc.
b) Border security forces (BSF)/ Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) or police – to look after
Horses, dogs, camels etc. in the forces / Intelligence or for the post of Assistant
Commandant or equivalent post.
c) I.C.A.R. (Indian Council of Agricultural Research) – co-ordination and funding of animal
based research / projects.
d) Animal Husbandry & Dairying Department, Ministry of Agriculture – They need
veterinarians for administrative management & coordination of veterinary services in the
states and implementation and formation of policies.
e) Quarantine Units – these are international check posts for preventing entry of exotic
disease in the nation like mad cow disease or fowl influenza in country from outside by
importing or transporting animals.
f) Central Farms – Unlike state farms & sperm collection centers or stations; they also
conduct trainings.
g) Medical institutions: as a veterinary officer (post graduation in public health or competent
subject may be necessary)
h) Civil services and public services: Apart from these posts, many veterinary graduates
these days write the state group I exams and the UPSC exams to become administrators
like IAS, IPS, IRS as well as Dept. Supt. Police and equivalent jobs through competitive
exams.
3. Academic/Research/Extension Wing of Veterinary Colleges in
State Agricultural universities, State Veterinary Universities, or
Universities having Veterinary Faculty.
a)Teaching/Research/Extension in Veterinary
College/Institutes/Universities.
b) Para Veterinary Staff / Live Stock Assistant training schools.
c) Experimental & germ free animal facilities attached to
Veterinary & Medical Institutions or colleges, Drug research
institutions.
d) Experimental Animal Unit – require vets for Animal model
preparation for experiments etc.
e) Clinical, diagnostic & investigation centers or labs established
in veterinary colleges and research institutes.
4. Local Bodies/Municipalities/Panchayats
a) Slaughter houses/Cattle Pounds/Public health Laboratories
b) Zoos & wildlife centers
c) Animal resource development under Panchayati Raj.
5. Private Sector
a) Pharmaceuticals
b) Commercial dairy farms
c) Commercial poultry farms
d) Commercial breeding farms/hatchery etc.
e) Race club, stud farms
f) Veterinary instruments/equipment industry
g) Biological products and vaccine product plants
h) Insurance companies, banks – as probationary officer
i) Corporate bodies eg. National Dairy Development Board, Cooperative
dairies, Milk board, Milk Unions etc
j) Feed processing industry
k) NGOs – as investigator, chief investigator and field veterinarian.
6. Self Employment
a) Private Practice – Companion animal veterinarian (Pet clinic) /
Large animal or food animal veterinarian
b) Consultancy
c) Partner, Assisting to an existing Practitioners.
d) Entrepreneur in Livestock Farms, Dairy Farms, Poultry Farms,
Goat Farms, Piggeries, Dog Breeding etc.
e) Diagnostic labs (Pathology, Biochemistry, Microbiology)
f) X-ray, Ultra-sound facility.
g) Media – as a freelance worker, blogger or scientific article
writer, proof reader etc (part time income source – Less stability)
h) Animal law expert (Courses are available)
7. Abroad
You can choose from working as a veterinarian or faculty in
institutes or fellow in research programs (You will have to fulfil
eligibility criteria and clear exams like TOEFL GRE etc. for this,
working permit or visa will also be required). Early planning is
necessary and proper strategy will help.