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Chapter 5 For Better or Worse?
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Chapter 5 For Better or Worse? The Impact of the Veterinarian Service on the Development of the Agricultural Society in Java (Indonesia) in the Nineteenth Century MartineBarwegen MANYAUTHORSresearchingtheagriculturalhistoryofJavaorIndonesia mentiontheimportanceoflivestockanditscontributiontoeconomic developments.However,theydonotprovideadetailedstudyofthehistorical ,economic,andecologicalsignificanceofthelivestocksector.Inthis chapter,Iwillexploretheimpactoftheveterinarianserviceanditscontributions ,bothpositiveandnegative,tocombatingcattleplague. Thesporadicoccurrenceofcattleplagues(rinderpest)intheseventeenth centuryhasbeenovershadowedbythegreatepidemicsofhuman plague.Veterinarymedicineassuchwasnonexistentatthattime,bothin theoryandpracticeapartfromafewtreatisesondiseasesofhorses,reflecting thepreoccupationoftherulingclassesinEuropewiththisimportant transportanimal.Inthenineteenthcentury,thiswasstillthecaseinIndonesia .In1814,thefirstmilitaryhorseveterinarianarrivedinJava.Thecorps ofmilitaryhorseveterinariansgrewtofivemenin1851,justbeforetheestablishment ofthecivilveterinaryservice(BurgerlijkeVeeartsenijkundige Dienst[BVD])in1853.Thesemilitaryhorseveterinarianshadhardlyany For Better or Worse?|93 interestinthelivestockbelongingtoJavanesefarmers,althoughattending totheiranimalswaspartoftheirjob. Withtheestablishmentofthecivilveterinaryservice,Javaneselivestock holderscouldutilizeaformofsciencethatwasnewtotheirculture.Javanese cattleholdershadalwaysmadeuseofknowledgeinheritedfromtheir ancestorsandbasedontheirownexperiences.LiseWilkinson,withjust onesentence,inspiredmetolookfurtherintothequestionastowhether thedevelopmentoftheveterinaryserviceinthenineteenthcenturyactually benefitedIndonesiancattleowners,especiallywhenthecattleplague ragedoverJavain1878.Shewrote,“Itisalsopossiblethatclimaticfactors andpoliticaldifficultiesaddedtotheseriousnessofthesituationandto thecomplexitiesfacedbytheauthorities.”1 Unfortunately,thatwasallshe wrotebecauseitwasneverquestionedwhetherthestatusandconditionof thelivestockimprovedaftertheintroductionoftheveterinaryservice.2 On theotherhand,theimpactofmilitaryhorseveterinarianswasquestioned byGroeneveldin1916: Isn’t it peculiar that everywhere a breed breeds itself, it has somanygoodcharacteristics,andisn’tittypicalthatgreatest degenerationistobefoundintheareaswhereEuropeanstried toimprovethebreedsandwherecastrationwaspracticed?... Thenwehavetoacknowledgethatitisexactlythroughour interference—directandindirect—thatthepresentsituationis createdandthatnowherethedawnofthedayglories.3 Inthecontextofthecivillivestockeconomy,thequestionarisesasto whytheoutbreakofthecattleplaguein1878ruinedtheWest-Javaneseagriculture andledtofamine.Whatwastheeffectofofficial policiesaimedat suppressingthisepizootic?Inthischapter,thecontributionoftheveterinary servicetothedevelopmentoftheJavaneseagriculturalsocietywillbe studiedusingthecattleplagueasanexample.Toanswerthesequestions, firstanoverviewofthedevelopmentoftheveterinaryservicewillbegiven, followedbyadescriptionoftheoutbreakofthecattleplaguein1878. The Establishment of the CivilVeterinary Service (BVD) InEurope,veterinaryschoolsappearedattheendoftheeighteenthcentury. Oneofthemainreasonswasthatnationalgovernmentsbecameincreasingly concerned about their agricultural yields and slowly realized the economic impact of contagious diseases of livestock. The pressure on agricultureroseduringseriousdiseaseoutbreakswhencasualtiesamong [3.145.108.9] Project MUSE (2024-04-17 20:25 GMT) 94|MartineBarwegen livestockwerehigh,sogovernmentsbegantofightdiseasessystematically andscientifically. IntheNetherlands,thefirstveterinarianschoolwasestablishedin1820 atUtrecht,sixtyyearsafterthefirstschoolinEuropeopeneditsdoors.In 1820,thefirstcivilveterinarian,oneCoppieters,arrivedinJava.Hediedin 1822andwasnotreplaced.Adecreetoappointasuccessorwasformulated in1838butwaswithdrawnin1839.4 Itisunclearwhethermoreveterinarians wererecruitedafter1839,butuntiltheestablishmentoftheCivilVeterinary Servicein1853,veterinarymedicineforfarmerswasassignedtothe militaryhorseveterinarians.5 Theseveterinariansfeltlittleresponsibility forthelivestockofthelocalpopulation. Becauseoftheshortfall...