through increases in our knowledge base, as well as more efficient drug develop-
ment. Although this growth in technology portends major advances over the next
few decades, economic and regulatory constraints must still be overcome for these
new drugs or therapeutic approaches to become common practise.
KeywordsFuture Nanotechnology Pharmacokinetics Pharmacology
ToxicologyVeterinary medicine
1 Introduction and Historical Background
The field of veterinary therapeutics is in a state of tremendous flux, being at the
vortex of strong currents arising from rapid technological advances, altered con-
sumer perceptions on food safety and bioengineering, and changing public attitudes
towards the value of pet ownership; all occurring in an economic maelstrom which
is changing corporate structure and forcing extreme cost efficiencies on the deve-
lopment, production and marketing of products targeted towards veterinary species.
Veterinary pharmacology has evolved over past decades in response to, and to cope
with, dramatic shifts in societal views and circumstances and scientific advances,
including changes such as the replacement of horses with automobiles for transpor-
tation, the elevation of dogs from working animals to family pets, the birth of
modern chemistry, and acceptance of the germ theory of infectious disease. This
rich history has been well documented in several reviews (Jones 1977 ; Davis 1982 ;
Parascandola 1992 ; Andersen and Higby 1995 ). What can be gleaned from a close
examination of history is that quantum advances have occurred in association with
paradigm shifts and rapid advances in basic biology and chemistry, technological
breakthroughs and societal upheavals. These drivers for change will continue to
shape veterinary therapeutics in future decades.
The history of pharmacology parallels the development of modern medicine
with the recognition that natural products of plant or microbial origin may cure
specific diseases. When one examines centuries of historic compilations of bota-
nical, mineral and other natural substance remedies listed in the world’sMateria
Medica,it is revealed that little development occurred for thousands of years until
the growth of chemistry and the resultant birth of experimental pharmacology
almost two centuries ago. At the turn of the nineteenth century, the French physio-
logists–pharmacologists, Megendie and Pelletier, studied the effects of intravenous
injections of plant extracts containing opiates, strychnine and other substances and
compiled their preparation and dosages into a formulary. Shortly thereafter, in
1813, the Spanish physician Orfila published the results of his experiments in a
book entitledToxicologie Generale.This was followed mid-century by the pioneer-
ing studies of Claude Bernard and others who extracted active chemical principles
from classic remedies, thereby firmly establishing a chemical basis for their action.
The transforming element of these early studies was that they employed the
experimental paradigm to demonstrate biological activity, establishing both the
192 J.E. Riviere