What are animals to us? Throughout history these beings with whom we have traversed the physical and semantic boundaries of the world together, side by side or face-to-face, coexisting, undoubtedly hold a unique position in their own histories, while being the extraordinary creatures in human history. Plants existed on Earth for the first time; a type of seaweed, blue and green algae. It is known that the transition from unicellular organisms to multicellular organisms in the aquatic life took a long time; only a billion years, however! Eventually, the rhythm of our planet, which has surpassed the age of 4.5 billion years, and the evolutionary phenomenon within it, show a gradual flow, somewhat diverging from the hurried mind of modern humans that is synchronized with the clock.
First, plants in the water, then tiny larvae thriving in the water, much later fish, and the emergence of land animals capable of leaving the water one day. Thus, infinite reproduction, interaction, metamorphosis. The fascinating story of the living beings on Earth is based on their ability to adapt to every condition on the planet's axis. As conditions change and as a result, displacement occurs, physical structure, nervous systems, and consequently brain structure and emotions will also develop.
Doesn't it sound quite interesting to think that our earliest ancestors were fish billions of years ago? Scientists say this quite clearly. They claim that the hollows on our cheeks are remnants of our fish ancestors' skeletons, that the transition from fins to arms and legs was an evolutionary process, that due to their competitive lives, dinosaurs, which needed to move very fast, are the ancestors of birds, and much more. Researchers from various fields, from paleontology to embryology, have revealed all of this in the past century and still enchant us with the secrets of our planet.
Since ancient times, the focal point of the idea of embracing the world semantically has always been animals. Throughout history, we have lived with animals that have been fought, eaten, domesticated, befriended, despised, entered into fairy tales, adopted as totems, considered sacred, escaped from, chased, and symbolized, and whose genetics have been altered. They truly occupy a significant place in our minds. It's not surprising that the first images and sculptures unearthed in archaeological excavations are animals; our multifaceted relationship with them forms the foundations of our own history. From Göbekli Tepe, considered the first settlement in the world, with its astonishing animal depictions, to the awe-inspiring Lascaux Cave, civilization history is surrounded by animals from Ancient China to Peru, from Egypt. All the depictions and narratives that have survived to this day clearly demonstrate this to us. The invention of the wheel in Mesopotamia, which made agriculture possible, is closely related to the domestication of animals that would pull it, wars will be won and long roads will be built with the domestication of horses, and the domestication of silkworms in China marks the beginning of Silk Road trade reaching Europe.
In the 17th century, René Descartes defined animals as machines devoid of mind, intelligence, and soul. According to him, the idea that animals suffer because they have no minds is an illusion. Throughout civilization history, human life narratives with animals will be shaped through the demonstration of its superiority. By the 19th century, significant developments in animal rights were emerging for the first time. British reformer and jurist Jeremy Bentham clearly argues that animals are sentient beings, leaving behind the inquiries that saw them as secondary beings, such as whether animals have minds or can speak. In 1824, the first animal protection society, the SPCA, was founded in London. This association not only banned cruel treatment of dogs and other pets but also led to the enactment of laws prohibiting bear and bull hunting. Ethical debates about animals and protective movements later spread throughout Europe and America. The establishment of the first veterinary school to keep animals free from infectious diseases dates back even further; it opened in Lyon in 1762 and in London in 1791. In 1842, the Military Veterinary School, named the Military Farrier School, was opened in Istanbul by the Prussian veterinarian Godlewsky. Despite all these developments brought about by the modern world, it seems that it will take a long time for humans to learn to live with animals on a more ethical plane parallel to ecological consciousness. Even today, humans still bestow upon animals the right to exist only within their own broad boundaries.
It is a fact that humans and animals, even all different animals, perceive the world differently. At the beginning of the 20th century, German biologist Jacop Johann von Uexküll revealed in his research that as many different species of living beings exist, there are as many different worlds. Uexküll's studies paved the way for a whole new perspective on the world. For example, while a land fly's 3,000-faceted eye enables it to see 360 degrees, in the closed world of a tick, which is closed to seeing and hearing, the butyric acid odor and heat emitted by living beings enable its perception. The world of leeches, which perceive the environment by following shadows and changes in humidity, is very different from the world of bats that use echolocation, where sound waves bounce off and create echoes to locate their prey. How can we talk about the most correct perspective and existence while living in such a subjective world full of such characteristics! As Uexküll showed, each creature lives in a world that its perception allows.
In a world facing ecological destruction, alarming climate disasters, and extinction, perhaps the most privileged aspect of humans is scientific research and technological inventions. After all, the ability to use tools, think, solve problems, and communicate is proven to exist in animals as well. The invention of imaging devices has marked a significant milestone in humanity's quest to unravel the secrets of life, health, and achieving longevity. Since Wilhelm Conrad Röntgen's breakthrough in 1895, imaging technology has undergone remarkable advancements, offering invaluable contributions to enriching human existence. It has been a long time since it was realized that this technology, directly related to human life, should not only be used for its own benefit. Professor Richard Eberlein, Director of the Surgical Clinic at the Berlin Royal Veterinary Academy, is remembered as the first person to use X-rays for diagnosing animal diseases. Eberlein, considered the pioneer of veterinary radiology, published an article on the diagnostic use of X-rays a year after Röntgen discovered X-rays in 1895. He presented papers on X-ray treatment in veterinary medicine at the first and second X-ray congresses held in Berlin in 1905 and 1906. In 1927, a grant from the Rockefeller Institute in the United States enabled the establishment of the X-ray Institute along with all the necessary equipment at the Vienna Veterinary School. After that, it became widespread for veterinary doctors in clinics in both Europe and America to use imaging devices for animal treatment.
Today, humans live with animals more than ever; they need their trust, warmth, and emotional healing. In this regard, imaging devices, which are indispensable for human health, also carry crucial value for the animals in our lives. In thousands of animal clinics around the world, animals receive diagnosis and early treatment through imaging devices. It seems that if the most advanced imaging options of medical technology are possible for humans, they are also possible for animals. Human efforts for animal health are the most direct response The human effort towards animal health is the most direct repayment of our historical debt to them.
In Turkey, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and computed tomography (CT) devices are used for diagnosing animal diseases in a few veterinary faculties and a limited number of private veterinary imaging centers. Increasing the presence of these devices in veterinary medicine, which is still quite limited, is inevitable for our ethical responsibility towards animals in our lives. Siemens Healthineers, Turkey's leading company in imaging devices, emphasizes the vital importance of imaging in veterinary medicine, just as it is for humans, with the motto "Health, also for animals!" This underscores the significance of a social responsibility project, "Algorithms and Animals," which brings together viewers with an exhibition. In this exhibition, we focus on animals that have undergone diagnostic imaging in veterinary imaging centers in our country or animals that have already passed away. Scientific and technological capabilities enable us to see their bodies in much more detail, and being confronted with these striking images brings about a sense of direct responsibility. Researchers in veterinary faculties and ordinary individuals like us have a shared responsibility. The animals we need to live with us in our homes, the animals living in zoos for conservation or observation purposes, and the animals near or far from us are all unique living beings. There is no doubt that our responsibility for the health of animals, which are the iconic beings of our history, is also the ultimate indicator of our respect for ourselves.
Seda Yörüker