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The Civil Veterinary Service on Java, Netherlands East-Indies, was established in 1853, more than 20 years after the introduction of the Cultivation System. During the 19th century its tasks were directed at the survey of livestock, esp. its health. Despite the fact that the number of veterinarians was far from enough, the communications problematic, and the optimal functioning of the Service assailed by infrastructional shortcomings, the CVS managed to carry out--in a relatively short period--a great deal of significant work. The CVS sometimes misjudged the situation completely, e.g. after the outbreak of rinderpest in 1878, that was a major catastrophe. The Dutch laws pertaining to the fight against this diseases were enforced in the Netherlands East-Indies. Agriculture suffered from the ban on moving cattle, cattle suffered from a feed shortage and cattle owners suffered from financial and emotional damage. Although it is impossible to determine exactly the influence of the adopted measures on the course of the epizootic, there are indications that the damages were aggravated through governmental interference.

In the course of the last two centuries veterinarians succeeded in gaining a monopoly with respect to a number of specific tasks within society under the motto "to the benefit of man and animal alike". Today, a veterinary infrastructure exists in the western world, which is usually taken for granted by society. Before the responsibility for maintaining animal resources and protecting both animal and human health were entrusted to veterinarians, both the process of scientific progress and professionalization of veterinary medicine were necessary. In this paper the regulation of the market for veterinary services in The Netherlands is decribed. Until World War II, the military and the colonies represented a major demand for veterinary services. A healthly livestock has always been considered as a main concern by the Dutch government with respect to the domestic food supply as well as exports. State intervention concerning veterinary medicine therefore focused on the organized campaigns against livestock diseases. Early national veterinary legislation originated from this concern, as is still the case today within the EU framework. The protection of human health only became part of the veterinary professional domain at a relatively late stage. Due to a strong economic growth from the 1960s onwards, veterinary practice was extended with the care for an increasing number of companion animals. The veterinary profession and its employment are subject to changes in society, such as the number of animals and the significance that is paid to the different species. In 1900 there were 4 million production animals in The Netherlands, while the human population counted 5 million. One century later, not less than approximately 130 million farm animals and 30 million companion animals are living in this country, which now has about 16 million inhabitants. Consquently, the total number of active vets increased from about 250 to 4,000 in the same period, while the number of group and solo practices both increased.