Vol. 144, No.8 (Suppl) laJ~1 American Journal of Epidemiology Copyright © 1996 by The Johns Hopkins University School of Hygiene and Public Health Printed in U.S.A. All rights reserved Veterinary Public Health and Alexander D. Langmuir James H. Steele 1 and Myron G. Schultz" Downloaded from https://academic.oup.com/aje/article/144/Supplement_8/S47/110320 by guest on 01 October 2021 Alexander Duncan Langmuir was recruited by the ignorance-let's exploit it!" Thus, the Veterinary Pub­ late Joseph Mountin, as I (1. H. S.) was after World lic Health unit was established in Mountin's office in War II, with the challenge to explore new areas that the Bureau of State Services at the National Institutes related to public health. Mountin was a leader who of Health, late in 1945. The charges were to investi­ gained fame by challenging the old order and antici­ gate and develop a control program for the animal pating future needs (1). He foresaw the need for an diseases that are of public health significance, to assist agency such as the Communicable Disease Center the states in the establishment of Veterinary Public (now the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Health programs, and to serve as a consultant in other (CDC)) to service the states. Public Health Service activities as they relate to ani­ In 1942, the Office of Malaria Control in War Areas mal diseases (3). This was the first time that Veteri­ was established by the Public Health Service in At­ nary Public Health was so recognized as a separate lanta, Georgia, to devise methods to reduce the inci­ entity in a public health organization table. In 1947, dence of malaria in our troops. This office also coop­ the Veterinary Public Health activities were moved to erated actively with the states in an intensive campaign Atlanta in the new CDC under the late Raymond A. to control malaria throughout the South where it was Vonderlehr. endemic. On January 1, 1946, following the war, a Justin Andrews, who was Deputy Director of the disease investigation and training center, the CDC, CDC at the time, was encouraged to find an epidemi­ replaced the Office of Malaria Control in War Areas. ologist who could provide leadership and develop a The establishment of the CDC was the fulfillment of trained corps of epidemiologists as the threat of the Mountin's foresight. He believed that the Public Cold War grew after the Iron Curtain dropped across Health Service should have a field office that could Europe and biologic warfare became a concern to provide state health agencies with the technical help of public health leaders. Andrews helped Mountin find consultants with highly specialized knowledge and the right man in Langmuir, then Assistant Professor at skills, and it came to be. The Johns Hopkins University School of Hygiene and Mountin's challenge to me (1. H. S.) in 1945 was Public Health and a colleague of Andrews. succinct: "What are you veterinarians going to do for When Langmuir arrived in the spring of 1949, he public health now that the war is over?" Further ques­ asked probing questions about the Veterinary Public tioning by Mountin led to an order from him that I Health program. He was frank in stating that his only should prepare a list of zoonotic/animal diseases that contact with veterinarians had been in the New York affect human health. The resulting chart (2) inevitably State Health Department where they were milk sani­ led Mountin to ask what control measures could be put tarians. He was interested in learning about animal into effect. It was apparent that the epidemiology of diseases and their public health significance. He was most zoonotic diseases was not known, and control given the zoonoses chart, and he quizzed me (J. H. S.) was not understood. Mountin summarized the situa­ periodically about diseases that caught his attention. tion by saying, "It appears that we have a lot of One of Langmuir's early impacts on Veterinary Public Health was his visit to the CDC Rabies Inves­ Accepted for publication April 9, 1996. Abbreviations: CDC, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; tigation Laboratory in Montgomery, Alabama. The EIS, Epidemic Intelligence Service. laboratory had been built by the Rockefeller Founda­ 1 University of Texas, Houston, School of Public Health, Houston, tion in the late 1930s to investigate the efficacy of TX. 2 Adjunct Professor of Epidemiology, Rollins School of Public rabies immunization in the prevention of rabies in Health, Emory University, Atlanta, GA. human beings, as well as dogs, under L. T. Webster, Reprint requests to Dr. James H. Steele, University of Texas, Houston, School of Public Health, 1200 Herman Pressler, P. O. Box Charles Leach, and Harald Johnson, all renowned 20186, Houston, TX 77225. medical scientists of the Rockefeller Foundation. They 847 848 Steele and Schultz concluded from their work that the old Semple vaccine disagreement arose. It was in 1952 at a biological from the early 1900s was not effective. warfare review conference for the Public Health Langmuir liked what he saw concerning the ap­ Service at Fort Detrick, Maryland. There had been proach to the rabies problem. An epidemiologic ap­ Canadian-American joint investigations of animal dis­ proach to rabies outbreaks consisted of enumerating eases as possible biological warfare agents from 1942 dog populations and census tracts, developing spot to 1950 at Gross Isle, Quebec, Canada (rinderpest, foot maps, calculating disease rates and vaccination rates, and mouth disease, hog cholera, avian influenza); En­ and preparing charts showing the effectiveness of dog gland (anthrax, brucellosis); and the United States control and vaccination (4). Langmuir provided active (brucellosis, glanders, tularemia, etc.). All of these are support to the rabies control program. Many of the animal diseases, but not all are zoonoses. The veteri­ Downloaded from https://academic.oup.com/aje/article/144/Supplement_8/S47/110320 by guest on 01 October 2021 data gathered by Ernest Tierkel, Robert Kissling, and nary authorities of the participating countries all be­ Martha Edson were to appear in the WorId Health lieved in the tried and proven control measures of Organization Expert Committee reports on rabies from identification, isolation, and destruction. Langmuir the 1950s (5) through 1984 (6). challenged this concept of control by quoting William The Veterinary Public Health division interested Farr, the famous English medical statistician who had Langmuir. He was always raising challenging ques­ analyzed the 1860s epizootic of rinderpest that had tions on zoonotic diseases. Sometime after he was swept across Europe following the Crimean War appointed head of the Epidemiology Branch, he vis­ (1858-1859). Farr, in his analysis, concluded that ited the Rocky Mountain Laboratory and observed there was no need for the slaughter of affected cattle the Q fever investigations in California in order to herds, as the epizootic had peaked by the time the be better informed about the activities of zoonoses. slaughter was instituted.' I (J. H. S.) had never read Langmuir encouraged the focus on rabies, brucellosis, Farr's review but objected on the basis that some leptospirosis, and salmonellosis, as well as Q fever. animals would recover and become carriers. Langmuir The Q fever investigations were integrated with the countered that there was no evidence that an acute National Institutes of Health under Robert Huebner, disease such as rinderpest, with relatively high mor­ who asked CDCNeterinary Public Health to collabo­ tality, would have carrier-survivors. At the time, the rate and assign a veterinary officer to the southern carrier state had not been proven, but subsequently the California project. This request had not been cleared carrier state was recognized. Rinderpest is a viral with the California Health Department, with resulting disease (10) that is related serologically to canine confusion and criticism. VonderIehr and Langmuir distemper and human measles. Langmuir and I had to defuse a stormy situation. (J. H. S.) had a fine time at this conference defending The Q fever investigations continued for a number our positions with the assembly of Public Health Ser­ of years, including studies of the effectiveness of milk vice and US Army officers, foreign scientists, and pasteurization at the University of California College agriculture officials in attendance. of Veterinary Medicine at Davis, California. Other Late in 1953, at the American Public Health Asso­ studies, which were undertaken as a biologic warfare ciation meeting in New York, Langmuir invited me defense strategy (7), included the role of vaccination (J. H. S.) to attend the editorial review of the forth­ of dairy cows. These investigations were strongly sup­ coming American Public Health Association Hand­ ported by Langmuir. book chaired by the distinguished public health pro­ Later in 1951, Andrews, then Director of the CDC, fessional, Haven Emmerson, the former New York reorganized the Center. Veterinary Public Health was City Commissioner of Health, and then Professor of merged with epidemiology (8). There was concern that Public Health, Columbia University School of Public Veterinary Public Health would be lost in the expand­ Health. Langmuir was very generous in his introduc­ ing Epidemic Intelligence Service (EIS) training pro­ tion of me (J.H. S.) and why he felt I could contribute. gram. Langmuir was busy recruiting his first class of This was the beginning of more than 40 years as a EIS officers and teaching assistants. Veterinary Public member of the editorial board, representing the Con­ Health provided him with several epidemiologic case ference of Public Health Veterinarians, first under studies that were used in the short training session that John Gordon's (1955-1965) editorship, and then incoming EIS officers attended. It was enlightening to under A. B. Benenson's editorship (1965-1995).