February 14, 2011

SEVC: FOUNTAIN OF KNOWLEDGESTARTLED by a sudden shove in the small of my back, I stum-bled forwards from the safety of the crowd.

While recovering my balance, I lifted my gaze to behold a ter-rifying sight – a beautiful fl amenco dancer in a fl owing black dress was stepping down from the stage, seeking volunteers to help demonstrate her next routine. As her arm commenced its slow arc towards me, my fl ight response triggered instantaneously.

With lightning speed I dived through a narrow gap in the crowd, skilfully dodging the “friend” who had pushed me, thereby narrowly escaping public humiliation in front of hundreds of my professional colleagues.

“Conference poster sessions have never been so interesting”, fl ashed across my sluggish cor-tex, as its neurons fi nally caught up with those of my motor refl exes. At last, I knew how a prey animal feels.

Busy ProgrammeThe Southern European Vet-erinary Conference (SEVC), in Barcelona, had proved inter-esting. For starters, it was held in the conference centre just below the Montjuic Mountain. Although not truly a mountain, unless you are a pixie or gnome, this commanding hill offered panoramic views of Barcelona. It was also the seat of the palatial National Art Museum, from

which a magnificent series of waterfalls were meant to cas-cade down stone steps to the Magic Fountains of Montjuic.

Normally providing a spec-tacular display of music, water acrobatics and lights in more than 50 colours, the fountains are one of the city’s most popu-lar attractions. Unfortunately, during the conference, they were dry – presumably under-going maintenance.

The conference offered more than 200 lectures. The seven simultaneous streams covered a large array of clinical disci-plines, including small animal, feline, and other companion animal medicine; behaviour, car-diopulmonary medicine, den-tistry, dermatology, diagnostic imaging, emergency and critical care, neurology, oncology, oph-thalmology, and reproduction; orthopaedic and soft tissue sur-gery, and wound management; anaesthesia, analgesia and pain management; and even practice management. A nursing pro-gramme proceeded simultane-ously with the remainder of the scientifi c programme.

Many of the specialists – espe-

cially those from North America and Europe – provided excellent presentations. However, my Australian colleagues and I felt the clinical level in some streams and lectures was lower than similar conferences in Australia and North America. The lectures we attended were sometimes ideal for new graduates, but not necessarily for those at a more advanced level.

Lost in translationThis impression was exacerbated by the simultaneous translations between English and Spanish. In a few cases French, German and Polish translations were also provided. Most lecturers were English-speaking specialists from the US, UK, or elsewhere in Europe – a small minority were Spanish speakers.

Some of the former obvi-ously slowed their deliveries to assist the translators catering to the majority Spanish-speaking audience. However, the result sometimes seemed slow to English-speaking listeners.

The English translations of Spanish lectures were sometimes excellent, but other times more

awkward – I walked out of some because the translations were too distracting. The task of trans-lating highly technical material is extremely diffi cult, especially if lecturers do not make a special effort to speak clearly and slowly. However, only a small propor-tion of the programme was affected in this way.

One excellent feature of the conference was the provision of electronic proceedings to all del-egates. The CD-ROM provided papers for most veterinary and nursing streams, as well as the posters, in English and Spanish.

Case-based discussions were also available that allowed del-egates to participate in small groups focusing on four topics from small animal medicine. Additionally, more than 100 scientific posters adorned the hall where I had my near-death experience with the lovely fl a-menco dancer.

Additional workshops allowed delegates to gain hands-on lab experience with new techniques, in groups of up to 20. Topics ranged from useful subjects, such as radiology, ultrasonography, and the cytological examination of aspirates and blood smears, to those that were more esoteric, such as tortoise surgery.

Most occupied about half a day at the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona’s veter inary school, which was linked to the main conference venue by a

shuttle bus service. Participant costs ranged from ¤80 to ¤500 per workshop – workshops were also available to those not registered for the main conference for an additional ¤50 to ¤100.

Lost appetiteFortunately, the closing fi esta was free for conference delegates. Held in a dedicated hall next to the Magic Fountains on the fi nal evening, the event was a chance to let our hair down. Hungry from the poor vegetarian and vegan fare on offer at the confer-ence lunches, I arrived keen to feast upon the promised buffet.

However, this turned out to be a disappointing series of iden-tical tables containing nothing more than quasi-gourmet fi nger food. It might have been okay for the meat eaters, if they’d already dined elsewhere, but even my increasingly growly stomach was unable to tolerate more than a few limp, boiled vegetable squares on skewers, which was the only vegan food available.

At least the lack of proper food appeared to enhance the alcoholic experience of one of my companions, although given the number of sangrias she had stockpiled before the free drinks ceased at 10pm, it was not nec-essarily a good thing.

Near the stage, an increasingly boisterous crowd had devel-oped. Things had moved on from the awkward beginning, when the band had struck up to an empty dance fl oor.

It had helped when sev-eral ordinarily dressed couples appeared from different direc-tions to deliver a dazzling dis-

play of latin-style dancing. Even before they “coincidentally ” converged in the middle of the dance fl oor and started a coordi-nated sequence, I had somehow deduced they were not vets. Or if they were, I had decided I’d be pursuing my future veterinary career in Spain. Sadly, they soon vanished into the crowd, never to be seen again.

Thankfully, after several pain-ful and hilarious hours, the fi esta drew to a close. It was followed the next day by the end of the conference itself.

Just plain old lostNow at last the serious work could begin. It was time to explore Barcelona in more detail. I joined forces with a friend and several of her colleagues.

Spellbound, we wandered the endless narrow, cobblestone streets of one of the world’s larg-est medieval old cities. We got happily and hopelessly lost. Mas-sive cathedrals, quirky clothing and craft stores, and delectable vegan cafes would all appear and disappear, only to mysteriously reappear further on.

Certain streets were sinisterly deserted and shadowed, while others were buzzing, espe-cially at night, when performers would provide amazing displays of costumery and artistry in dedi-cated attempts to induce passing tourists to lighten the weight of their wallets.

For colleagues seeking a con-tinuing education option with a slightly exotic twist, I strongly recommend Barcelona. Several of us fell in love with this won-derful, vibrant city and remain alert for any excuse to return. !

ANDREW KNIGHTBSc, BVMS, CertAW, MRCVS, FOCAE

provides an overview of the Southern European Veterinary Conference with highlights ranging from companion animal medicine to oncology

ANDREW KNIGHT is a fellow of the Oxford Centre for Animal Ethics and the director of Animal Consultants International, which provides multidisciplinary expertise for animal issues. He is also the president of Animals Count – a political party for people and animals. He is interested in a wide range of bioethical issues.

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An overpass in the old part of the city.

Barcelona’s Magic Fountains of Montjuic.

The exhibition hall at the Montjuic conference centre.