WAHVM

Veterinary history in an online inaugural lecture from long term @VetHistSoc member and @WAHVM1 President @abiwoods3 - signup link below!

Check out our new timeline, which brings the history of #BVD and #footrot into conversation with wider developments in farming policy and practice. Featuring research from @field_wt, fabulous images from @TheMERL and technical support from @kingsdigitallab.

Events since March have borne out everything I wrote in this thread. History is repeating itself. #COVID19 #histmed

The trailblazing @AnimalHistories online seminar series kicks off with Jonathan Brown's insightful dissection of 1930s downland sheep farming photos, courtesy of @TheMERL

Veterinary historians in lock-down: go transcribe! RCVS Vet History Transcription Project wp.me/p7A3PL-122

A thread on policy responses to epidemics – from someone who’s spent 20 years researching and teaching their histories. These are observations not answers, that aim to contextualise not condone the UK govt response to #covid19. 1/13

A fun day geeking at veterinary heritage in the place where South African bacteriology began - the Onderstepoort laboratory under Arnold Theiler. Wish I had more time to examine his postmortem book, library and notes on blue tongue vaccine expts. @WAHVM1 #wahvm2020

Daan Verworerd talks about the history of virology and notes significance of technology for changing practices, research, diagnosis/limitations working with living material #wahvm2020

Ben Mans discusses East Coast Fever in South Africa + highlights importance of history for informing present day recommendations about prophylaxis, vaccination, etc. Deprnds on idea if ECF still exists or is eradicated #wahvm2020

Tracking plague in South Africa. A fascinating account by @RenSimSusan on how the veld gerbil, its fleas, and relations with humans and agriculture were implicated in human plague outbreaks. #wahvm2020

Very honoured to hear Dr Rudolph Bigalke's keynote on the vet hist of tropical diseases in South Africa. Here's Theiler and Watkins-Pitchfork studying rinderpest. Their serum/virus vaccine was eclipsed by Koch's bile vaccine (which killed a lot of cows)

It didn't work... But in the mid 1990s, the internet plus DNA testing technology plus international co-operation propelled the development of tests for other inherited dog diseases which have benefitted their health

Sorting out the cause of deafness involved 3 medical men who brought together expertise in bull terrier breeding, animal genetics and congenital deafness in humans

@acdalison on the export to colonial India of British pedigree dog breeding - both the culture and the dogs themselves (including a fair few deaf Bull terriers) #wahm2020.

..and a very strong showing in third place from @anthrobite and @gabra_lopes with 'A History of Aedes aegypti as Mosquitoes that Transmit Diseases in Brazil'.' Congratulations from #wahvm2020!

2nd prize in the Early Career Scholar competition goes to Sandi Howie (UK) for her fascinating account of 'From Caledonia to the Cape - the first veterinary surgeons of the Cape Colony' #wahvm2020

Now we have Gareth Bath on the early veterinary presence in South Africa. They were mostly military, but John Crump took a punt on private practice.