Task 1. Read and translate the text.

Date: 2015-10-07; view: 565.

VETERINARY MEDICINE: INTRODUCTION

THE HISTORY OF VETERINARY MEDICINE

UNIT 25

1.1. THE HISTORY OF VETERINARY MEDICINE

Veterinary Medicineis a branch of medical science that deals with the health and welfare of animals. Doctors of veterinary medicine diagnose and treat the diseases and injuries of household pets, livestock, laboratory animals, zoo animals, and wildlife. They promote public health by combating zoonotic diseases (animal diseases that can be transmitted to humans) and by inspecting livestock and food processing procedures to insure a safe food supply. Some veterinarians actively participate in wildlife preservation and conservation, while others conduct scientific research into the causes and prevention of disease.

Veterinary medicine is a challenging field. One significant difference between human and animal medicine is that veterinarians must be familiar with the anatomy and diseases of several different species. An appropriate treatment for one species might be ineffective or harmful if applied to another. Veterinarians must be proficient in both medicine and surgery, and be well versed in areas such as pediatrics, obstetrics, anesthesiology, plastic surgery, dentistry, dermatology, geriatrics, and orthopedics. They must deduce problems without sharing a single spoken word with the patient. Many veterinarians, therefore, are acute diagnosticians with top-notch skills of observation and intuition.

Veterinary medicine is a unique profession concerned with the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of animal diseases, animal production and public health. People used to have a profound interest in maintaining the health and welfare of animals because of human dependence on them. The practice of veterinary medicine goes back to ancient times, and has roots in China, India, Egypt and Babylonia. The first schools for the training of professional veterinarians were established in France in the eighteenth century. In the United States, veterinary medical education dates back to 1852. Until the early part of the twentieth century, veterinarians in the United States were primaryly engaged in the practice of equine and food animal medicine. Veterinarians‘ roles and responsibilities to society have become increasingly vital since good animal care is essential to human health and economic well-being. Primary examples are in the areas of basic biological research, human medicine, ecology, and food production. The importance of the profession to both human and animal welfare is self-evident.