Historical Textbooks Reveal Czech Veterinary Herbal Use

Within MP4V WG3, historical Czech veterinary textbooks from 1913–1964 were analysed to create plant datasheets for veterinary medicine. The sources reveal traditional uses of medicinal plants in animal health and enrich today’s evidence base through virtual collaboration.

A few months I was working on creation of datasheets of plants for veterinary medicine for WG3 based on historical textbooks from the Czech republic. The search for historical books was successful and yielded new insights into veterinary medicinal plants historically used in the Czech Republic.

The first historical book found and processed was the book První pomoc při onemocnění domácího zvířectva (First aid for sick pets) (Dvořáček, 1924). The book was very rich in information about veterinary medicinal plants and their use. We owe this to the venerable age of this book. Another valuable publication is Bylinářské zvěroléčitelství (Herbalist Karel, 1930). The book was published by a real herbalist who drew on the knowledge of his ancestors for his work and this publication. Two more books have been found that appear to be valuable sources of information and may be processed in the future. These are Veterinární botanika a pícninářství (Šikula & Zubrický, 1964) and Nový způsob léčení zvířat (Knoll, 1913).

The opportunity to collaborate within the framework of virtual mobility has opened up new horizons for me in terms of self-education.