Mastitis is the most common disease in dairy cows and significantly affects animal welfare, milk quality and the profitability of dairy farming. The journal "Der praktische Tierarzt" has been in existence for 100 years and since the beginning of this period the current state of knowledge on mastitis control has been presented. The anniversary of the journal is a good occasion to re-read the published work on mastitis control to understand the development of mastitis knowledge, important advances in mastitis control and paradigms. The available work on udder health issues or mastitis was reviewed.