Medical field dealing with animals and with diseases that are contagious between animals and humans.
It was a medical specialty in ancient Egypt and Babylonia but went through a period of virtual nonexistence in medieval Europe before reappearing in the mid-18th century with the founding of the first veterinary schools. Veterinarians practice internal medicine, surgery, and preventive medicine, using the same techniques used on humans. Many specialize in either small animals (pets) or large ones (livestock); a few specialize in wild animals.