Robert von Ostertag (March 24, 1864 – October 7, 1940) was a German

veterinarian A veterinarian (vet), also known as a veterinary surgeon or veterinary physician, is a medical professional who practices veterinary medicine. They manage a wide range of health conditions and injuries in non-human animals. Along with this, vet ...

who was a native of

Schwäbisch Gmünd Schwäbisch Gmünd (, until 1934: Gmünd; Swabian: ''Gmẽẽd'' or ''Gmend'') is a city in the eastern part of the German state of Baden-Württemberg. With a population of around 60,000, the city is the second largest in the Ostalb district and ...

. He studied medicine in

Berlin Berlin ( , ) is the capital and List of cities in Germany by population, largest city of Germany by both area and population. Its 3.7 million inhabitants make it the European Union's List of cities in the European Union by population within ci ...

and

veterinary medicine Veterinary medicine is the branch of medicine that deals with the prevention, management, diagnosis, and treatment of disease, disorder, and injury in animals. Along with this, it deals with animal rearing, husbandry, breeding, research on nutri ...

in Stuttgart, afterwards becoming a professor of

hygiene Hygiene is a series of practices performed to preserve health. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), "Hygiene refers to conditions and practices that help to maintain health and prevent the spread of diseases." Personal hygiene refer ...

at Tierärztliche Hochschule Stuttgart (1891–1892) and at the College of Veterinary Medicine in

(1892–1907). In 1907 he became head of the veterinary department in the Reich Health Office in Berlin. In 1910 he traveled to German Southwest Africa in order to study diseases of sheep, and in 1913 he investigated

rinderpest Rinderpest (also cattle plague or steppe murrain) was an infectious viral disease of cattle, domestic buffalo, and many other species of even-toed ungulates, including gaurs, buffaloes, large antelope, deer, giraffes, wildebeests, and warthog ...

in German East Africa. In 1920 he became head of veterinary services in Germany. In the 1890s, Ostertag started a rigorous program of meat inspection in Berlin, and he was referred to as the "Father of Veterinary Meat Inspection" in Germany. Ostertag's meat inspection act of 1900 greatly reduced incidences of

bovine tuberculosis Bovines (subfamily Bovinae) comprise a diverse group of 10 genera of medium to large-sized ungulates, including cattle, bison, African buffalo, water buffalos, and the four-horned and spiral-horned antelopes. The evolutionary relationship betwee ...

in human beings. He was the author of numerous publications in veterinary science, and is remembered for his influential ''Lehrbuch für Fleischbeschauer''
"Handbook of Meat Inspection"
, a book that was later translated into English. His name is lent to ''Ostertagia'', a

genus Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms as well as viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus comes above species and below family. In binomial nom ...

of attenuated nematodes of the family

Trichostrongylidae Trichostrongylidae is a family of nematode in the suborder Strongylida. Genera Genera: * '' Africanastrongylus'' Hoberg, Abrams & Ezenwa, 2008 * '' Amidostomoides'' Petrova, 1987 * '' Arnfieldia'' Sarwar, 1957 * '' Ashworthius'' Le Roux, 1930 * ' ...

. These organisms are found in

cyst A cyst is a closed sac, having a distinct envelope and division compared with the nearby tissue. Hence, it is a cluster of cells that have grouped together to form a sac (like the manner in which water molecules group together to form a bubble) ...

s on the wall of the

abomasum The abomasum, also known as the maw,The Cham ...

of cattle and other ruminants. The disease associated with the organism is called " ostertagiosis".

References

External links

Biographies of Namibian Personalities by Klaus Dierks
Dorlands Medical Dictionary

USDA
Food Safety and Inspection Services 1864 births 1940 deaths People from Schwäbisch Gmünd German veterinarians Recipients of the Cothenius Medal {{Germany-scientist-stub