The Changing Role Of Veterinary Medicine In The 18th Century

How much has veterinary medicine actually changed from the 18th century to the 21st century? Many people would reply to this question by stating just like most ‘modern’ things, veterinary medicine has taken its current form by going through many transformations (1). Before the 18th century, some forms of medicine and medical practices were based solely on herbalism and superstitions. There was no significant change in medicine especially veterinary medicine until the 18th century, because most individuals still believed the body including animals’ bodies were made up of the four humors (4). Veterinary medicine did not develop until the 18th century during the Enlightenment period, which was said to be a time where everyone changed their perspective, how they viewed the world and started to develop and emphasize on new principles (1). Developing and altering principles led individuals of the 18th century to become more interested in the way they viewed the human body and animals. The Enlightenment is where the phrase veterinary medicine originally developed (1). People started creating new levels of the taxonomic rank such as classification and order (1). They did this by learning to gather information and evidence that could be applied for comparative anatomy at a later use. During the
Scientists and early veterinarians only knew the infection within the horse’s hoof as being thrush. Anton van Leeuwenhoek discovered the first microscope in the late 17th century: he is also known for discovering bacteria (5). However, it took until the late 18th century and early 19th century for the microscope to become more modernized. The Enlightenment period helped push the discoveries and advancements of the microscope because the period is known for changing and emphasizing on new principles (1). The new principles brought light to the modernized medical and veterinary practices that are known