Polish founders of veterinary education in Eastern Ukraine in the 19th and early 20th centuries: the 170th anniversary of the Kharkiv Veterinary College

Abstract

The purpose of the article is to outline the role of Kharkiv in creation of the veterinary education system in the south of the Russian Empire, to highlight the achievements of Polish scientists in that process, and to popularize the knowledge of this aspect of the Polish-Ukrainian history as an example of fruitful collaboration between Poles and Ukrainians during the period of statelessness of both nations. At the beginning of the 19th century, Kharkiv became one of the first cities of the Russian Empire where foundations of veterinary education were laid. A special department was formed at the university: the Veterinary School, which later became the Veterinary College and the Veterinary Institute. During the 19th and early 20th centuries Polish scientists created a system of veterinary education in Eastern Ukraine. The most important role was played by Karol Wiśniewski, the pioneer of veterinary education in Ukraine as a whole, Napoleon Halicki, the first and long-standing head of the Veterinary College, and Jerzy Poluta, one of the authors of the plan for its conversion into the Veterinary Institute. Considering their great services, the Polish scientists deserve to be remembered. Their memory is preserved by the Kharkiv State Zooveterinary Academy, the main research and educational centre in Eastern Ukraine and heir to the scientific traditions initiated in the 19th century.