A brief historical overview of zoonoses

By studying the surviving documents describing surveillance and methods of control of zoonoses in the distant past, the history of the fight against these diseases can be retraced. Prior to the 20th Century, the best known zoonoses were, amongst others, rabies, anthrax, glanders, tuberculosis, plague, yellow fever, influenza, and certain zoonotic parasitic diseases. An analysis of historical events yields a number of lessons as to the positive and negative influences of past theories regarding the aetiology, contagiousness and control of these diseases. These lessons serve as a reminder, to all those involved in the fight against emerging zoonoses, of the urgent need for extensive research on the aetiology and mode of transmission of these zoonoses, in addition to the need far timely application of the findings of such research to disease control activities.