THE LANGUAGE OF BODIES: COMPARATIVE ANATOMY AS A UNIFYING SCIENCE FOR EDUCATION, RESEARCH, AND ONE HEALTH

Comparative anatomy, the study of structural similarities and differences between animals and humans, remains one of the oldest and most enduring foundations of veterinary and medical science. From the dissections of Aristotle, Galen, and Vesalius through to the anatomical theatres and museums of the 19th century and beyond, comparative examination has shaped our understanding of the living world. It is no coincidence that the very roots of biology, medicine, and veterinary science are deeply embedded in this discipline. Examining the horse’s limb, the ruminant stomach, or the avian lung not only satisfies scientific curiosity but also provides veterinarians with essential knowledge for diagnosis, surgery, and disease prevention, while at the same time revealing important parallels with human medicine, and vice versa. Ko telo spregovori: primerjalna anatomija kot povezovalna znanost v izobraževanju, raziskovanju in okviru koncepta Eno zdravje Primerjalna anatomija, veda o strukturnih podobnostih in razlikah med živalmi in človekom, ostaja ena najstarejših in najtrdnejših osnov veterinarske in medicinske znanosti. Od disekcij Aristotela, Galena in Vesalija do anatomskih gledališč in muzejev 19. stoletja ter kasneje je primerjalno proučevanje oblikovalo naše razumevanje živega sveta Ni naključje, da so prav v tej disciplini korenine biologije, medicine in veterinarske znanosti. Proučevanje okončine konja, želodca prežvekovalcev ali pljuč ptic ne zadovoljuje le znanstvene radovednosti, temveč veterinarjem zagotavlja temeljno znanje za diagnostiko, kirurgijo in preprečevanje bolezni, hkrati pa razkriva pomembne vzporednice s človeško medicino in obratno. Ključne besede: primerjalna anatomija; izobraževanje; raziskovanje; eno zdravje