Vets celebrate 130 years of historic professional journal

BVA’s association with Vet Record goes back almost 100 years. The weekly journal was founded by William Hunting in 1888 and is regarded as one of the foremost scientific journals within the veterinary profession globally. Writing in the first edition of Vet Record published under BVA’s (then National Veterinary Medical Association, or NVMA) ownership in 1920, NVMA president Orlando Charnock Bradley highlighted the key aims of this association as helping vets to learn from each other’s views and, most importantly, to speak for the profession as a whole.

The very first issue of Vet Record in 1888 carried a report about bovine TB and risk of zoonotic transfer to children. For its 130^th anniversary edition, the theme of One Health once again takes centre stage, with The BMJ editor Fiona Godlee taking over as guest editor. The special issue explores why and how the veterinary and medical professions can work collaboratively under the One Health umbrella to seek interdisciplinary approaches to tackle human, animal and environmental health issues. 

Vet Record editor Adele Waters said:

“Vet Record has a proud history of driving the concept of One Health - the understanding that the health of our species is inextricably interwoven with that of animals and the environment. In its first issue, the journal carried a report about bovine TB amid heightened concern that the disease was being transmitted to children via cows’ milk.  It has since tracked the risk, spread, and management of zoonotic disease - from anthrax, rabies, glanders and TB in the 19th century to the more recent health scares of severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS), bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) and highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPA1 H5N1).

“In November 2005, we published a joint issue with our sister title The BMJ and in 2014 we followed up with a series of articles exploring the meaning of One Health and how a collaborative and interdisciplinary approach could help solve emerging global problems. Today - on the journal's 130th birthday - we are proud to publish a special issue with The BMJ editor Fiona Godlee as our guest editor.”

Congratulating Vet Record on this special occasion, British Veterinary Association President John Fishwick said:

“I would like to extend my heartiest congratulations to the team at Vet Record on reaching this exceptional milestone.

“BVA is proud of its strong association with Vet Record spanning almost a century, in which time the journal has documented some of the most important events in veterinary medicine as well as the fundamental changes the profession has undergone. I wish the journal all the very best as it continues to be an invaluable resource for vets in the UK and indeed around the world each week.”