[The perception of veterinary medicine in the print media]

Between January 2000 and October 2003, a print media data bank on published contributions was screened for the German key words "Tierarzt/Tierärztin" and "Veterinär/Veterinärin" (veterinary surgeon) and related items. 267 articles have been found. Regarding the contents, the articles were characterised according to the content (VPH, surgeons, other), and the cause of the article. Regarding the surgeon part, mostly companion animals are dealt with. If it comes to VPH, primarily so called scandals such as misuse of therapeuticals or epidemics (BSE, FMD) have been reported. In the first instance these articles reflect only a temporary interest, and they do not give real insight into the daily work of the profession. As a consequence, public intelligence on veterinary medicine may be misled by such press articles, possibly generating wrong expectations in young people who might start with veterinary medicine. Institutional bodies should provide information, which covers the subject in a more realistic way in order to prevent a wrong understanding of the profession and to offer the whole scope of the public functions of veterinary medicine.