Cuando la Medicina Veterinaria tuvo que ser reconocida: el caso de Bonaventura Corti

Bonaventura Corti (1729-1813) was an exemplary erudite of his times, with knowledge in agricultural sciences, botany, meteorology, microscopy and natural sciences. He was collaborator and friend of Lazzaro Spallanzani. In 1772 he was appointed by the Health Authority to give his advice on the mortality manifested in cattle of the area of Reggio Emilia (Po valley, northern Italy). His period was characterised by developments of agriculture to meet the necessities of the growing population, increasingly urbanised, and by the urgency to control the great cattle plague and other animal epidemics causing famine. The Veterinary Schools had not yet been instituted, and practitioners were directed towards the cure of farm, draft and army animals. In order to surrogate the need of specialized experience on animal diseases, and to combat the epidemics affecting continuously the animals, the governments employed the best scientists available, e.g. great physicians as Lancisi, Malpighi, Ramazzini, Vallisnieri and scientists with different experience. Bonaventura Corti was one of the appointed scientists, and gave his opinion with the assistance of a physician, a surgeon, and a farrier. His wide culture and experience permitted him to give useful advises based on climatology, environmental hygiene and the knowledge available at that time on the transmission of communicable diseases. The need emerged was such that Veterinary Schools started to be instituted following the French model, and from 1765 to 1806, seven Veterinary Schools were created in Italy.