Vets are playing an important role in the understanding of human diseases because of their expertise in equivalent animal conditions. These so-called "natural models" of human diseases can often tell researchers more about the human equivalent than experimentally induced ailments in mice and rats. They also present fewer ethical problems because the veterinary patients also benefit from the research. Furthermore, in the light of the recent BSE and foot and mouth epidemics, veterinary expertise is at a premium in government as well.
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