[Prof. Dr. Richard Völker and the School for Veterinary Medicine Technical Assistants in Hannover]

The first assistant professions in medicine technical field were established in the last third of the 19th century. Basic units primarily were private institutions which aimed to set up training facilities and money-making opportunities for unmarried women of the middle and upper classes. In correlation with the progress in microbiology and X-ray technics from about 1900 in veterinary medicine the demand for technical assistants raised up too. Since 1929 in some institutes and clinics of the Hannover Veterinary School unpaid trainees were instructed. Accordingly to this the "School for the Training of Technical Assistants in Veterinary Institutes" was founded on the initiative and under control of Richard Völker in summer 1937. In this paper a preliminary report is given which deals with the main aspects of the development of the profession, the school's foundation history and the special role of its founder Völker. A doctoral thesis to this subject is submitted to the veterinary authorities.