The Hellenic Army Veterinary Service () is a service of the Greek Army responsible for the training and care of animals. The Hellenic Army Veterinary Service was established as an independent unit in 1904, mainly focusing on the treatment of equidae until the 1950s. The modernization of the Greek military led to the gradual shift of its role to veterinary public health.
History
Early period
At the time of the declaration of the First Hellenic Republic, Greece did not have a statuary body regulating veterinary medicine. Throughout the 19th century veterinary science was primary practiced by folk healers with no formal education who used traditional medicine of dubious quality standards. The first trained veterinarian in Greece was Bavarian Georg Horsch, who was attached to a Lancer Regiment of the Hellenic Army in November 1832. A few months later his position was officially confirmed in the structure of the Greek armed forces. In 1837, Horsch was promoted to the rank of Major and was appointed lecturer in hippiatrics at the Ministry of Military Affairs. Thus marking the beginning of formal instruction of Greek military veterinarians.
Emmanouel Pyllas and Nikolaos Kordikas were the first Greeks to receive a degree in veterinary science. The latter enlisted in the Greek military in 1844. In 1853, he published the Hippiatrics, the first veterinary book in modern Greek history. In 1859, Kordikas succeeded Horsch as lecturer in hippiatrics. In 1875, Georgios Pilavios enlisted in the Greek military, he is considered to be the founder of the Hellenic Army Veterinary Service. During the 19th century the primary focus of Greek military veterinarians was the treatment of equidae. There were under six civilian veterinarians in the entire country, while the number of military veterinarians was likewise insufficient to cover the needs of the Greek armed forces even during periods of peace. Pilavios wrote numerous scientific works on the topic of veterinary science bringing wider awareness about the topic among the Greek military and political elites.
In 1887, Pilavios published Creoscopy Manual a book about food safety in the meat-packing industry which was the only instructional Greek book on the topic for many decades. In 1895, creoscopy officer Ioannis Petridis convinced the Athenian authorities to move the city's abattoir from Gargareta to Tavros. Petridis also facilitated the extension of food safety regulations to all animal products and the establishment of mandatory tuberculosis check ups at dairy farms. During this period, Greek military veterinarians also worked in clinics specializing in the treatment of rabies, smallpox inoculation and contributed to contagious disease control among privately held animals. Starting from 1890, the lecturer in hippiatrics also became responsible for teaching equine science. From 1900 and on, the most senior military veterinarian was placed in the Hellenic Army General Staff and exempt from all other duties.
Independent operation
The efforts of Pilavios and other veterinarians led to the establishment of the Hellenic Army Veterinary Service in 1904 and the first veterinary hospital (Athens Garrison Veterinary Hospital). In 1911, Pilavios was succeeded as head of the Veterinary Service by Charilaos Kanavatzoglou. In 1912, the law number 3995/1912 set the number of veterinarians serving in the Greek military at 32 and established a second veterinary hospital in Larissa. It also abolished the position of divisional veterinarian, dispatching military veterinarians to cavalry and artillery regiments; which hampered its operation during the Balkan Wars. The Veterinary Service trained approximately 20 farriers per year, a number insufficient for the needs of the army. Basic veterinary training was provided to cadets in the Hellenic Military Academy and the Higher Military School for Non-Commissioned Officers which was supplemented by the publication of veterinary manuals.