VHS Entry. John O. Broberg, B.Vet.Med., MRCVS. I am a general practitioner and I have worked in country practice for over 40 years. My main interests in veterinary history are old veterinary instruments and the general history of veterinary medicine from ancient times to the present day. The first known veterinary surgeon was Urlugaledina who worked in Sumeria about 2,300 b.c. Seal of Urlugaledina, Mesopotamia 2,300 b.c. The first Rabies Legislation was enacted in the Sumerian Eshuna Code at about this time as well. If a Rabid dog bit someone who subsequently died the owner of the dog had to pay a set fine to the family of the dead person. If the dog bit a slave who died the fine was less! About 1,700 b.c. the Emperor Hamurabi published his Code (on a large Basalt slab that is now in the Louvre in Paris). This established set fees for successful operations on men and animals and punishments for unsuccessful operations. Fees and punishments were less for veterinary surgeons than doctors. Operations at this time were simple: lancing of absecces; cleansing and stitching of wounds; splinting broken bones; and castration, this was done from ancient times to quieten and fatten bulls and stallions, castration has no calming effect on carnivores such as cats and dogs, it can even make them more violent and castrated dogs may fight bitches as well as dogs. The basic horse castration clamp remained unchanged at least from Roman times until the 20th. century when they were replaced by emasculators that crushed the cord and cut it in one operation.
Castration clamps, from the left an early iron clamp, a wooden clamp with knife marks where the cord was cut across it, a disposable peg type which was left on the cord to drop off, a late 19th. century steel clamp and a mid 20th. century stainless steel model. The scale is marked in inches and half inches. About 400 b.c. the Greek philosopher Hippocrates introduced the humoural theory of medicine, that the four body fluids blood, phlegm, bile and black bile needed to be in balance for good health and imbalance caused disease. Various techniques for removing excess harmful humour were developed, including purgatives and rowels but the main one became bleeding. So medicine was set to bleed millions of people and animals to death for the next 2 thousand years. Lancets and fleams were the main blood letting tools of the farrier and veterinary surgeon. A lancet was struck into the jugular vein by hand and a fleam was struck in with a blood stick or fleam hammer. Three blood sticks, Georgian to Victorian.
Horse lancet and case on the left, human lancet and case on the right, both mid 19th. century, adjustable late 19th. century model in the middle. Fleams top from left: 1700, late 18th. century, 18th. -19th. century, bottom from left: dated 1847, late 19th. century Army issue by Long, approximately 1920 hand strike model by Maw.
On the brass lancet the depth of cut was changed using the round screw, the tiny scissors at the base were used to cut a hair from the mane or tail; a pin was pushed through the skin and the hair wrapped around this in a figure of eight to close the vein. The base of the horse lancet is roughened to give a firm grip as considerable force is needed to strike through the skin. Aristotle, 350 b.c., studied medicine and established the idea of studying disease by body system in all animals rather than considering diseases as separate items in each species. He set medicine on a scientific base of enquiry and experimentation. He considered treatment could be by medicine, knife and fire. Fire was used primarily as hot irons. Heated to a dull red they would stop bleeding but firing irons were used for various other purposes, one use that continued to modern times was line firing of horses to treat torn tendons. Lines were burnt into the backs of the legs, the old theory was this inflammation in the skin would draw the inflammatory damage out from the tendons below. A later idea was that the scar tissue would give extra support. The scale at the bottom of this picture is marked in inches and halves. Above that is a pin firing iron to fire swellings on joints. The next two are line firing irons. At the top is a Decherey s petrol fired iron with various fittings for line and pin firing. Another old procedure was the docking of horses. Carriage and cart horses could trap the reins under their tails, the driver then lost control, had to stop and reposition the reins. Docking Machines were used for this task, long handled with a u shape on one side and a sharp blade on the other. They varied tremendously in quality from excellent to terribly crude home made items.
At the top is a large docking machine suitable for use on a shire horse, it is 30 inches long (76 cm) and apparently made by a competent general tool maker RMBS. Overlapping the above on the left is a rosewood and mahogany model by the London instrument maker Arnolds. The pony model to the right of this, with a clip that closes over the tail, is also by Arnolds. Arnolds have been making surgical instruments since 1819. Below these to the right is a blacksmith made tool, sturdy and efficient but lacking finish. At the bottom left is a very crude tool which I assume would have been home made on a farm. At the bottom is a circular cauterising iron, heated to red heat and applied to the flesh around the bone to stop bleeding. These are just a few of the old veterinary instruments that were made, there were many, many more for routine uses and for special tasks. And the veterinary profession is now a very advanced, technical field of medicine.