Dystocia in cattle and horses: a compilation of historical artworks dedicated to Professor Gerhard Sand (1861–1921)

Professor Gerhard Sand (1861–1921) was the first professor of veterinary obstetrics at the Royal Veterinary and Agricultural University, Copenhagen, Denmark.

He began teaching the theory and practice of obstetrics to veterinary students in 1887 and spent the following years until his death in 1921 developing the veterinary obstetrics teaching program.

During this period, veterinary obstetrics was established as an independent discipline at the Royal Veterinary and Agricultural University.

Professor Sand’s teaching had a major impact on the field of veterinary obstetrics in Scandinavia.

He was devoted to teaching veterinary obstetrics and produced a number of obstetrical illustrations, some of which showed different causes of dystocia, mainly fetal malpresentation in cattle and horses.

Professor Sand created the illustrations with the intention of publishing a handbook of obstetrics, but due to illness and an early death, this work was never completed.

This compilation of historical artworks of dystocia in cattle and horses includes some of these illustrations and is published to honour Professor Sand, with the intention of making his illustrations widely available for the teaching of veterinary obstetrics.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s13028-024-00733-1.