Man's attempts to learn about aspects of the human body and its functions by observation and study of animals are to be found throughout history, especially at times and in cultures where the human body was considered sacrosanct, even after death. This book describes the origins and later development, especially in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, of comparative medicine and its interrelationship with medicine and veterinary medicine and the efforts of its practitioners to understand and control outbreaks of infectious, epidemic diseases in humans and in domestic animals. In the nineteenth century their efforts and increasing professionalism led to the creation of specialised institutes devoted to the study of comparative medicine. This book sheds much new light on the medical and veterinary history of this period and will provide a new perspective on the history of bacteriology. Historians of science will find the book of great value.

An analysis of the origins and development of the study of infectious, epidemic diseases in animals and man.
Reviews
"Regardless of the discipline of an academic veterinarian, I believe this book to be a must in one's reading list as a help in understanding the role of veterinary medicine in its service to mankind." R.B. Talbot, Journal of Veterinary Medical Education
"The mastery of primary and secondary sources, wit, and style make this book enjoyable reading." T.P. Gariepy, Choice
"...an interesting book that will have special appeal to veterinarians, edidemiologists, and teachers of preventive medicine and public health....should be read by all those who are interested in epidemiology." James H. Steele, New England Journal of Medicine
"... an important edition to the literature of veterinary medicine and is not just for history buffs. For those who wish to pursue individual topics further, there are 37 pages of references and annotation." J. Fred Smithcors, Agri-Practice
"...traces the history of veterinary medicine from antiquity through virological research in animal pathology conducted at the Rockefeller Institute for Medical Research in the twentieth century...a valuable contribution. It is also topical in the brave new world of baboon liver transplants and speculation about the primate origins of AIDS." Susan E. Lederer, ISIS



Book Information
ISBN 9780521018449
Author Lise Wilkinson
Format Paperback
Page Count 284
Imprint Cambridge University Press
Publisher Cambridge University Press
Weight(grams) 400g
Dimensions(mm) 230mm * 155mm * 15mm