The Brno Anatomical Works on Meat Cutting and on Skin Morphology

B 0 h m R., O. S t I! r b a: Bmo Anatomical Works on Meat Cutting and on Skin Morphology. Acta vet. Bmo 1995,64: 9-12. The present study deals with the period of cooperation between Prof. Dr. Jan Kolda and Doc. Dr. Jan Hold and their pupils during which they elaborated standard methods of the cutting of meat based on anatomy. Another subject of cooperation were studies on the morphology of skin and hides under various methods of processing. The cooperation ended when first Doc. Hold died prematurely and then Professor Kolda. The situation of that time prevented any of this kind of research to be continued. Standards of meat cutting, morphology, skin, hides, Professor Kolda, Docent H6kl An important part of the activities of Professor Dr. Jan Kolda and his colleagues after World War II was the implementation of anatomy in the technology of meat and raw materials of animal origin. We will draw attention to studies on the cutting of meat and on the histological structure of the skin of farm animals. These subjects were suggested by DocentMVDr. etRNDr. Jan Hold, a food expert (1907-1951), Head of the Department for Food Hygiene and Technology of the University of Veterinary Medicine in Bmo in 1945-1951, situated in the same building as the Department of Anatomy. Jan Hold left the university in 1938, after his habilitation thesis on studies of intestine hygiene and technology had been rejected. He found a good background in the Bafa firm in Zlin, at first at their Biological Institute, later as head of the Municipal Institute for Food Research. His cooperation with professional workers in the area inspired him with many ideas for scientific and professional studies during the war and later. At that time preparations were under way for the establishment of the Meat Research Institute. The most important person of these activities was MVDr. Alois Pi~a (1898 1978), an officer of the veterinary service of the army, who had worked during the war in the State Health Institute in Prague. The Meat Research Institute was established, naturally not until after the war, in 1947, as part of the Ministry of Nutrition. The main workplace was situated at Hokl' s university department. From the very beginning the department had many concrete ideas for research activities, among them was the extensive work about animal foodstuffs which Hold used to indicate as "Culinary Art". Jan Hold applied many of his ideas in the dissertation theses of students of veterinary medicine. He cooperated directly with Professor Kolda in issues connected with the cutting of meat because at that time efforts were done to standardize animal foodstuffs. The basis of this standardization could be nothing else but an accurate anatomical description of the cutting lines and the naming of the muscles, and/or bones, which the individual meat parts contained. Therefore, anatomy is the basis of cutting, the accompanying pictures are the same as pictures in anatomical books. Technologies include the proposed and used names of the parts of meat, their weights, culinary use and practical comments. Work evidently began soon after 1945 because the first volume appeared in 1948. This was "The cutting of veal" by Jan Kolda and Jan Hold, and under the title it was indicated as part of the research plan of nutrition No.19 .07 .07. This was probably the project of the Society