There are men and women who, touched by who knows what kind of grace, shake up a whole part of our humanity. The one who placed the onerous task of founding the world’s first veterinary school in the capital of Gaul on the shoulders of this man from Lyons is a good example… For although his name is much less cited in history books than those of Newton, Pasteur or Einstein, his influence on science and medicine was just as decisive.
Claude Bourgelat, the man with 30 million friends
Since the domestication of horses around 3000 BC in Asia Minor, man has always had a close relationship with animals and their health. Mesopotamians, Egyptians, Greeks, Romans… all civilizations have developed knowledge of animal medicine over time.
But it wasn’t until the 18th century that a certain Claude Bourgelat, then equerry to King Louis XV, made a decisive impact. His research on horses had a considerable impact in France and around the world, in the midst of the Enlightenment and the Encyclopédie.
One thing led to another, and Bourgelat rose to the highest echelons of society and was entrusted with an unprecedented mission: to found a school devoted to animal medicine. It was to be the world’s first veterinary school. The opening of this establishment had such an international impact that Bourgelat is today considered the founding father of the veterinary profession. And, just as doctors take the Hippocratic Oath, veterinarians take… the Bourgelat Oath.
A little-known pride of Lyon
Take the test: “Claude Bourgelat, you say? – Unknown to most”. Yet the legacy of his work is immense. Although the Lyon Veterinary School still exists, his face appears on the Fresque des Lyonnais and a street bears his name, the recognition is undoubtedly not up to scratch.
So, the next time you come across kindness in a dog’s eyes or contentment in a cat’s purr, remember that we owe it all to a Lyonnais. Hats off to him!