A Special Kind of Doctor: A History of Veterinary Medicine in Texas

A Special Kind of Doctor: A History of Veterinary Medicine in Texas

A Special Kind of Doctor: A History of Veterinary Medicine in Texas

A Special Kind of Doctor: A History of Veterinary Medicine in Texas

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Overview

The story of veterinary medicine is a story of the human-animal bond and of a very special kind of doctor who works at that interface. It is a story of science, of professionalism, of practical experience. In Texas--with the longest international boundary of any state, with a larger and more diverse animal population than most, and with one of the highest per capita level of pet ownership--the challenges and opportunities have been especially great.

Whether dosing a herd of three-hundred-pound calves with oral medication or treating a baboon in a local zoo for a ruptured disk, the veterinarian must rely on professional training. Such training has been available in Texas since 1888, when Dr. Mark Francis, eventually one of the most distinguished practitioners in the United States, became head of the fledgling program at the Agricultural and Mechanical College of Texas. Francis quickly established research and public health activities as companions to teaching at the school.

To forge a working network and maintain standards, the state's veterinarians in 1903 formed the Texas Veterinary Medical Association (TVMA). From international campaigns to eradicate foot-and-mouth disease to ultra-sound applications for military working dogs and the examination of space-flight chimpanzees, the veterinary medicine profession in Texas has faced and met many challenges. It has expanded to practice medicine for the exotics imported into the state and to provide care for the companion animals increasingly bringing comfort to the elderly and disabled.

Working from the archives of the TVMA and of Texas A&M University's College of Veterinary Medicine, the authors have recorded the history of the profession and its organizational arm in Texas. They have set it in the context of the national profession and of larger events in the society. Veterinary medicine, like human medicine, has undergone enormous change in the past century; this book tells the story of that change.


Product Details

ISBN-13: 9781585440689
Publisher: Texas A&M University Press
Publication date: 06/01/2000
Pages: 232
Product dimensions: 6.00(w) x 9.00(h) x 0.53(d)

About the Author


Henry C. Dethloff is a professor of history at Texas A&M University.Donald H. Dyal is an associate professor and director of special collections, Sterling C. Evans Library, Texas A&M University.

Table of Contents

Illustrations and Tablesvii
Prefaceix
Acknowledgmentsxi
Chapter 1.A Special Kind of Doctor3
Chapter 2.Mark Francis and Early Years of Veterinary Medicine in Texas22
Chapter 3.The Texas Veterinary Medical Association: Organizing the Industry39
Chapter 4.A Maturing Profession: 1920-4063
Chapter 5.Veterinary Medicine in War and Peace84
Chapter 6.Veterinary Medicine and a Changing Society101
Chapter 7.Adapting to Change122
Chapter 8.Anatomy of a Veterinarian144
Appendix170
Notes185
Bibliography199
Index206
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