< > Glossary & References / Book List / B36 Field Manual of
Wildlife Diseases / Text Sections: Chapter 1 - Recording and
submitting specimen history data Author: J. Christian Franson
RECORDING AND SUBMITTING SPECIMEN HISTORY DATA History can be
defined as a chronological record of significantevents. In
wildlife disease investigations, determining the history or
background of a problem is the first significant step toward
establishing a diagnosis. The diagnostic process is often
greatly expedited by a thorough history accompanying specimens
submitted for laboratory evaluation. This information is also
important for understanding the natural history or epizootiology
of disease outbreaks, and it is difficult, if not impossible, to
obtain the history after the outbreak has occurred. Detailed
field observations during the course of a die-off and an
investigation of significant events preceding it also provide
valuable information on which to base corrective actions. The
most helpful information is that which is ob