Yogya (KU) – Retired Professor of Faculty of Veterinary Medicine Universitas Gadjah Mada (UGM), Prof. drh. Subronto, M.Sc., Ph.D., launched a book about his 40 years of experience as a vet. Those experiences have been compiled in a book entitled Prof. Brontosaurus, Days of A Vet.
The 144-pages book talks about his experience as a practitioner in treating animal patients. One of his odd experiences is when he caught a wild leopard entering UGM campus back in year 1976. It was told that a leopard had escaped from Gembira Loka Zoo and entered the UGM campus. The big cat was hiding at the chemical laboratory of Faculty of Agricultural Technology after smashing the laboratory window. Subronto at that time was called by the Dean, drh. Abdul Muis, who ordered him to catch the leopard. He bought fresh meat from the market and gave anaesthetic on it in an attempt to catch it. Unfortunately, the leopard ignored the meat.
“Because of the unavailability of tools such as anesthetic guns and others, I poured ether to the floor where the leopard was through the crack in the roof which I had managed to climb. Finally, the leopard went unconscious and could be caught,†he said during a discussion held by the Student Executive Body of the Faculty in the Auditorium, Sunday (2/5). In addition, he told the audience about his experience in curing the wounds suffered by three dogs. He used the sap of banana tree based on his knowledge of traditional herbs. The two stories are part of his 21 odd experiences, treating odd diseases of and dealing with wild animals without adequate medicine and tools.
drh. E. Noegroho, Managing Director of PT. Eka Poultry company in Semarang, who analysed the book, appreciated Subronto for sharing his personal experience as a vet. According to Noegroho, Subronto’s experience in treating animals is nowhere to be found in formal study.
“The experience is nowhere to be found in formal study. Moreover, if we work in rural areas without adequate equipment, a vet should be ready to face this kind of situation,†said the alumnus of Faculty of Veterinary Medicine UGM who became an entrepreneur.
Nugroho also presented an award to Subronto who had productively written books about vets amidst the scarcity of veterinary books.
To vet candidates, Nugroho suggested that they study more about herbal medicine, because vets are assigned in rural areas which have limitation in medicine no matter that a vet should be able to handle every case.
Apart from the Brontosaurus, previously there was a discussion about Subronto’s other book, Parasite and Microbial Infectious Diseases on Dogs and Cats. Attending as analysts were lecturer of Parasitological Section, drh. Sumartono, SU., DEA, and student of professional program, Ismadi Putro, SKH.