International Journal of Animal and Veterinary Advances 3(5): 316-321, 2011 ISSN: 2041-2908 © Maxwell Scientific Organization, 2011 Submitted: July 28, 2011 Accepted: September 25, 2011 Published: October 15, 2011 Corresponding Author: Jalal Shayegh, Department of Veterinary Medicine, Faculty of Agriculture and Veterinary, Shabestar branch, Islamic Azad University, Shabestar, Iran 316 Ethnoveterinary Knowledge of Azarbaijanian People about the Terminology and Pathogenesis of the Animal Infectious Diseases: A Historical and Modern Review of Iranian Native Veterinary Medicine 1 Jalal Shayegh and 2 Peyman Mikaili 1 Department of Veterinary Medicine, Faculty of Agriculture and Veterinary, Shabestar Branch, Islamic Azad University, Shabestar, Iran 2 Department of Pharmacology, School of Medicine, Urmia University of Medical Sciences, Urmia, Iran Abstract: This a unique report about the ethnoveterinary knowledge of Azarbaijanian people about the terminology and pathogenesis of the animal infectious diseases in folkloric literature and the part of literature which has prolonged among the villagers and conserved its own existence but its terms have not registered in their written forms. Collecting and reviewing these terms about the animal diseases put an apparent persistence on the long experience among native Azerbaijani people (Iran) in its veterinarian aspect. We tried our best to have a good clarification over these terms. Key words: Ancient terminology, azerbaijan, ethnomedicine, Iran, traditional remedies, veterinary INTRODUCTION The relationship of animals and human beings are found in the rock-carvings in caves (Menges, 1968). It seems that each tribe of human beings has to make a kind of companionship with the animals in order to draw on animals in support of their needs and life styles. Meanwhile the Turkish people cannot be considered as an exception. The close association with animals before settling down and taking up agriculture made them proficient horsemen and warriors (Heyat, 2001). Several Turkish leaders in history provided precious input to veterinary medicine. Tamer Lane (13th century A.D.) who was a Turkish king, was a horse breeder, and at first made his efforts in pathology publishing on necropsies performed at his dead horses (Tadjbakhsh, 1993; Fa, 1979). The appreciation of animals among these people has had a great impact on Turkish literature, especially on folkloric literature, the literature that deals with the life styles and the traditional behavior of people (Tadjbakhsh, 1993; Qarachorlu, 2003). The availability among the people of traditional terms in a great variety, going beyond theauthority in comparison with their scientific equivalents, sounds whimsical. These terms based on clinical signs and pathological lesions are not passed down in written form. This paper tries its best to elucidate some of these valuable terms in use among Azerbaijani people in northwest Iran and still persisting with them. MATERIALS AND METHODS These words are a part of many words collected by the authors and some students of Veterinary Department of their University from different towns and villages in the vicinities of Azerbaijani provinces (Ardabil, East and West Azerbaijan) of Iran in four years (from 1999 to 2003). For this purpose, we prepared a questionnaire including information about the word or meaning of the word related to veterinary medicine. Then, students were sent to different regions of Azerbaijani provinces. After filling out the questionnaire by student and native vets, they were collected and put into alphabetical orders. In the next stage, the abovementioned collected materials were matched with available related literature for original meanings and spelling, etymological and veterinary meaning analysis. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION The authors had the opportunity to bring together over 400 terms that born reference to Azerbaijani native culture and could analyze some of them using available literature. Followings are some examples of these analyzed words. Foot and mouth disease: Foot and Mouth Disease (FMD) or aphthous fever, is a well known animal disease among farmers of Iran. Based on French equivalent