Josef Ignác Pešina was born in 1766 in Kostelec nad Orlicí. He studied at the grammar school in Litomyšl and then went on to enrol at the Faculty of Arts in Prague, to enable him to apply to the Medical Faculty of the University of Vienna a few years later. In 1795 he was awarded a doctorate in medicine and remained there as an assistant at the Department of Anatomy and Physiology under professor G. Prochaska. Three years later he left to join the University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna, where he had been promised a professorship, and there he specialised further, particularly in anatomy. In 1801 he was awarded the title of professor and five years later was appointed director of the institute. He became famous especially for his study of the anatomy of domestic animals and livestock, and achieved worldwide acclaim as an expert in horse teeth; he also researched animal immunology in order to reduce the death rate and improve the health of livestock on farms. He was, for instance, the first person in the world to have sheep vaccinated against smallpox. In addition to this, he was a great innovator in the teaching of veterinary medicine, helped to organise courses at emerging veterinary schools and advocated a modern system of teaching veterinary medicine inspired by the way human medicine was taught. The plaque commemorating this prominent local figure, who is also featured in relief on the facade of the University of Berlin alongside other famous veterinarians, was installed on his birthplace in Kostelec in 1966 to mark the 200th anniversary of his birth. Together with the installation of the plaque, designed by A. V. Kovanič, a street was also named in his honour, and commemorative medals and a postal stamp were also issued.
