[Pain as a matter of conscience]

Veterinarians have a professional responsibility towards animals, owners and society. This responsibility is determined by understanding as well as by a sense of justice and fairness. Its relationship with all sorts of objections of a zootechnic, economic, social and ethical nature may be rather strained. This not only holds good for practising but also for dealing with animals intended for slaughter or experimentation as well as for acting in an official setting. When we look about us, views both on responsibility and the importance of objections are seen to be gradually changing. Pain and experience of pain as theme of this congress is symptomatic of this re-orientation. The first part of this paper is concerned with the manner in which these altered views are gradually gaining attention in society. The discussion is based on an elementary outline of the development of veterinary medicine, a differentiation being made between a mythical, a technical and a discerning approach. The second part is a discussion of the way in which veterinarians should cope with this criticism in their professional conduct. This is appropriate for two reasons. To begin with, veterinarians are becoming increasingly aware of the fact that they bear responsibility for the welfare of animals. Secondly, a point of view is expected of veterinarians in concrete situations.