The veterinary research curriculum which is very similar to the medical curriculum in several respects, requires that the qualified veterinarian should be conversant with many subjects, including the extensive field of research. The title of the present paper is so comprehensive that deliberate qualification is required. The responsibility of the speaker invited implies that the first limitation he has to impose upon himself is that of approaching the subject on the basis of the present-day need for socially relevant research. To begin with, two main lines stand out clearly: (a) identifying, detecting, treating and preventing the causes of conditions which menace and impair the health of animals. (b) identifying, detecting, treating and preventing the causes of conditions which menace and impair the health of man. The present paper centres on the field of research which the two departments of science have in common and the management of which is highly relevant both to public health care and to protection of health from the point of view of hygiene. Reconnoitering this field leads to the conclusion that the preliminary training of the veterinarian predisposes him to the ability to develop into a research worker and specialist in one of the many departments making up this field of investigation.