200 years of education in veterinary medicine and veterinary activity in Czechoslovakia

The development of veterinary medicine in the Czechoslovak Socialist Republic is evaluated on the occasion of the 200th anniversary of the first lectures on veterinary science at Charles University in Prague (1784). Efforts to found a special veterinary school in Prague date back to the beginning of the 19th century; more than 20 petitions and interpellations concerning the establishment of such a school had been presented to the Bohemian Diet and the Imperial Parliament since 1841. The efforts for the establishment of this school were gradually conjoined with the national-revivalist and national-liberation movement. However, the veterinary university was established only in 1918, in Brno, when Czechoslovakia won independence. The development of veterinary medicine in the territory of today's Czechoslovakia is appreciated positively, mainly in the last 100 years. However, it was only after 1948--in the process of the transition from small-scale farming to large-scale socialist agricultural production--that all the needed practical and economic conditions were created for the development of veterinary medicine. The veterinary service was nationalized in 1951 and adequate material and technical backgrounds were built. Another veterinary university schools was introduced, and post-graduate studies and veterinary extension activities were started.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)     

Food-supply veterinary medicine and veterinary medical education: an Australian perspective

Food-supply veterinary medicine has been an essential part of veterinary degree programs in Australia since the first veterinary school opened in the late nineteenth century. Australian veterinary schools, like others internationally, are being challenged by the relevance of material in current curricula for modern food-supply veterinary medicine. Additionally, student aspirations are a major issue, as curriculum designers balance companion-animal training with the herd/flock-based issues that focus on productivity and profitability. One of the challenges is to examine the relative balance of education in generic skills (self-knowledge, change management, teamwork, leadership, negotiation) with more technically or scientifically based education. An ongoing process of curriculum review and renewal, which involves input from both external and internal stakeholders and allows regular review and assessment, is needed to ensure continuing curriculum relevance.     

Current perspectives on distance education in veterinary medicine

A brief review of technologies currently used in distance-education endeavors in veterinary curricula is presented. The article provides the results of a survey on how distance education has been used in veterinary curricula.     

西藏兽医高等教育的挑战

西藏的高等兽医教育事业从无到有,历经中专、专科和本科三个层次,培养了一大批兽医专业技术人才,为西藏的社会经济发展做出了重要贡献。本文综述了西藏兽医高等教育发展的历史、取得的成就,并结合现状与存在的不足进行了分析,提出解决存在问题的建议。     

Epidemiology, public health and preventive medicine in veterinary medical education in Canada and the United States

A survey was conducted of teachers, faculty positions, curricula, and administrative structure of epidemiology, public health and preventive medicine in the professional curricula of 28 veterinary schools in Canada and the United States. All or nearly all schools allocated core curricular time to courses in epidemiology, public health, food, safety, and preventive medicine. Fewer schools allocated time to regulatory medicine (79%), economics (75%), biometry (61%) and environmental protection (54%). Of the 148 surveyed teachers of these disciplines, 92% had the DVM or equivalent degree, and 52% had both DVM and Ph.D. degree.

In the period 1987–1989, 33 faculty positions related to epidemiology and preventive medicine were filled, and in mid-1989 there were 41 vacant or anticipated positions. Of the 41 vacant or anticipated positions, the DVM (or equivalent) degree was required in 85%, and the DVM and Ph.D. degrees were required in 61%. Analytic epidemiology (quantitative methodology) and livestock/herd health management were the most common areas of emphasis required in the vacant or anticipated positions.     

Exploring the foundations of population health and preventive medicine as essential elements for veterinary education

The evolution of preventive medicine and public health training in professional veterinary medicine curricula is documented. Most veterinary colleges in the US began with a single course in meat hygiene or public health, with a focus on food hygiene issues. These courses laid the foundation for modern veterinary preventive medicine and public health training for veterinary students. Most graduates of veterinary colleges today have extensive training in population health, preventive medicine, and zoonotic diseases.     

Veterinary medicine and public health or better: veterinary public health

The development of veterinary medicine and its impact on public health are outlined in this overview. In relation to this, we speak of Veterinary Public Health. In 1865, the liberal J.R. Thorbecke initiated the institution of the later independent 'State Supervisory Public Health Inspectorate' was set up in 1920, as a consequence of the Meat Inspection Act of 1919, and became part of the State Supervisory Service. In 1925 the 'Veterinary Public Health Inspectorate', which was part of the Ministry of Public Health, and the 'Veterinary Service', which was part of the Ministry of Agriculture, formed together a so-called 'Personal Union'. This Union came to an end in 1984. During the nearly 60 years of its existence, and especially after the Second World War, the Union has contributed enormously to public health by controlling zoonoses and decreasing chemical contaminants in foodstuffs. In these achievements it has worked in collaboration with veterinary surgeons, meat inspection services, and research institutes such as the National Institute of Public Health and Environment (RIVM), the Institute for Animal Science and Health (ID-Lelystad), and the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine.