ESHS/HSS Annual Meeting

Horseshoes in Science: The Role of Equine Veterinary in the Configuration of Scientific Thought in the Andes

• In Event: Andean Sciences Untranslated

English Abstract

Since the beginning of colonial times until the twentieth century, horses had an important role in the social, economic, cultural and military dynamics in Latin America. In spite of their strength, these animals depended on constant handling and care in order to be functional in different areas. Their needs required professional veterinary care, so the people in the Andean region of Latin America started to mixture local empirical knowledges and European manuals, which were depending of the regional contexts.
The existent veterinary manuals were mostly focused on horses and cattle due to the economic interest in both involved, but they also contained mistakes because of the poor translations and interpretations. Their existence demonstrates the significance of disseminating veterinary science in the Andes, where such knowledge was essential for the local contexts. Horses not only facilitated the colonial and military expansion; they also contributed to the development of veterinary science as a necessary discipline to maximize horses’ power and longevity.
I pretend to analyze the way the veterinary science, through the interaction with local contexts and the military demands, set up the scientific thought to the extent that they adapted to the needs of Colombia and Bolivia. This is done by problematizing the role of the large animal veterinary medicine in consolidating a practical science that is to the service of power generally managed by European people, who arrived to the Andes to share their knowledge.

Author

• Laura Helena Arraya Pareja, FLACSO ECUADOR