Evolution of the veterinary art

The title of this book speaks of the veterinary art, but that of the last chapter of scientific veterinary medicine. The book is broken down interestingly into nine chapters on, Prehistoric Veterinary Medicine; Ancient civilizations; Byzantine Veterinary Medicine; Mediaeval Veterinary Medicine; Renaissance Period; Seventeenth Century; Eighteenth Century; Education for Veterinary Practice; Scientific Veterinary Medicine.

The author acknowledges that he has quoted, possibly extensively, from Smith's Early History of Veterinary Literature and from Leclainche's Histoire de la Médecine Vétér-inaire and other previous work on the subject. He does not refer to the writings of the late J.T. Edwards on veterinary history. Parts of this book seem very familiar to those who know these earlier writings.

It is sometimes difficult to follow the author's theme. In the four pages devoted to the fourteenth century there is much about the "Black Death" in man, with emphasis on the effects on domestic animals as a result of shortage of personnel to attend to their needs. Some of the comments on the disease appear to infer that this disease did, indeed, occur in farm animals although it is stated that the plague organism does not affect them. Incidentally, too an incident from Boccaccio's Decameron is mentioned in which two pigs rooted around the rags from a man just dead from the disease and themselves died in less than an hour; the author surmises that they may have died from scab or "leprosy" [sic]. On p.353 when speaking of Hogg, the "Ettrick Shepherd, " on braxy the author adds that it is "a form of anthrax." He is not always sound on the nature of disease.

There are 42 full-page plates; the legends might often be more informative. For example, that for Plate 12 indicates that a skeleton is possibly portrayed, but there are five items on the page and it would be difficult to guess what two of them are meant to represent. It would be fair to say that this book should be read with care. It covers a very wide field and the sources of information are often themselves suspect. The most an author can do in these circumstances is to form his judgments and give emphasis where he considers this warrantable, a very difficult task.

Perusal of such a book necessarily starts a reader off on much reflection on how our art and science has evolved. There is much to praise in the manner in which individuals and bodies have played their roles and, inevitably, a great deal to condemn in the codes of behaviour of man towards animals. This book brings out many examples of barbarity and not only by those who could hardly be expected to know better.

The text is written in an interesting manner. Any particular episode could be read with appreciation by itself.

Veterinary history has its serious students on both sides of the Atlantic. Much requires to be written still about affairs up to the beginning of the era of bacteriology, and the story of the great developments from the time of colonial expansion merit a fat volume in themselves. This book should do much to stimulate interest in veterinary history. The author gives an impressive account of the material he has used and is to be congratulated on the compilation of a very useful text.