Contrary to prevalent opinion, veterinary medicine was not a new science when the Division of Veterinary Medicine was established at Iowa State College in 1879.

The first period in the development of veterinary medicine began with our earliest recorded history and ends with the establishment of the first veterinary school in 1762 at Lyons, France. Austria, Belgium, Russia, Denmark, Sweden, and Germany followed in close order with the establishment of more veterinary schools.

The study of the anatomy of animals was founded by Aristotle. Hippocrates, another Greek writer and veterinarian, lived about the fourth century. Absyrtus, another Greek who lived about the same time was the most important writer of all on animal diseases.