Volume 23 Article 3 Issue 2 In Honor of Dr. George R. Fowler

1961 The aP st and the Future of Veterinary Education, Part One: A View of the Past David E. Tyler Iowa State University

Fred C. Davison Iowa State University

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Recommended Citation Tyler, David E. and Davison, Fred C. (1961) "The asP t and the Future of Veterinary Education, Part One: A View of the Past," Iowa State University : Vol. 23 : Iss. 2 , Article 3. Available at: https://lib.dr.iastate.edu/iowastate_veterinarian/vol23/iss2/3

This Article is brought to you for free and open access by the Journals at Iowa State University Digital Repository. It has been accepted for inclusion in Iowa State University Veterinarian by an authorized editor of Iowa State University Digital Repository. For more information, please contact [email protected]. The Past and The Future Of Veterinary Education

David E. Tyler, D.V.M., M.S.* Fred C. Davison, D.V.M.**

Part One: A View of The Past

This is the first of two articles by these authors. Fonnal veterinary education in the The second will follow in the next issue. United States did not appear until well after the middle of the nineteenth cen­ tury. There were several factors which A Slow Beginning contributed to the tardy development of LTHOUGH THE practice of the vet­ scientific in this A erinary art extends back to the earli­ country. Primary among these was the est beginnings of civilization, it has only fact that the land was sparsely populated been during comparatively recent times and animal numbers on farms were still that the education of has small. Such conditions of privation pre­ been conducted along formal lines. The sented little chance for contacting infec­ first veterinary school was founded at Ly­ tious agents and even less possibility for ons, France, in 1761. Following the ex­ the development of extensive epizootics. ample set by France, schools of veterinary Lack of interest in the veterinary pro­ medicine were soon organized in several fession during this period can also be at­ other European countries. tributed to the cultural background of the rural population. They were a very *Dr. Tyler is an assistant professor in the De· religious group and if an animal, or hu­ partment of at Iowa State University. man for that matter, sickened, they con­ **Dr. Davison is an assistant professor in the sidered it an act of Divine providence Department of and at Iowa State Unh·ersity. and did little to interfere with its pro-

Issue 2, 1960-61 83 gress (3). Most of these people were of meaning. The members of the profession rather recent English origin and were were known only by the appellation of prejudiced against anyone connected with "Farrier or Horse or Cow ." For the veterinary profession. A large share thirteen years the school tried in vain to of the blame for this feeling can be placed become established. In an effort to revital­ at the doorstep of the London Veterinary ize the school it was reincorporated as the College. Due to the early facuIty's gross Pennsylvania College of Veterinary Sur­ misconception of what should constitute geons. This school met with the same fate a veterinary education, the graduates as the first and closed its doors only four from this school were little, if any, better years after its initiation. Neither of these than the common farrier or quack of that schools produced graduates. day. The next attempt at establishing a vet­ Another factor contributing to this erinary school was made by a physician feeling of indifference, or as was often turned veterinarian, Dr. G. H. Dadd. In the case, outright disgust, toward anyone 1855, Dr. Dadd opened the Boston Veteri­ dealing in the treatment of animal dis­ nary Institute. The course of instruction eases was the marked increase in char­ covered two terms of four months each. latans in the profession during the sec­ The cost for the entire course, including ond quarter of the nineteenth century. the examination fee, was $104.00 (2). Following in the wake of increased num­ The school soon encountered difficulties bers and values of livestock, this group and closed in 1860. Although it is contro­ grew by leaps and bounds. Since they versial, it appears that this school man­ generally came from the more ignorant aged to graduate a few veterinarians (9, and often disreputable elements of soci­ 5,6). ety it is little wonder that the public The first semblance of a successfully came to place little faith or respect in established veterinary school was that of the profession. With the exception of a the New York College of Veterinary Sur­ mere handful of trained veterinarians, geons founded in 1857 by Dr. John Bus­ the practice of veterinary medicine dur­ teed. The school was hampered by in­ ing this period was controlled entirely by ternal strife from the time of its incep­ the self-trained empiricist. tion until its doors were closed in 1875. During the eighteen years of its existence The First Schools eighteen veterinarians were graduated. As early as 1806, Dr. Benjamin Rush, The faculty from this school split to founder of the first American medical form two new schools, the American school, attempted to interest agricultural Veterinary College and the Columbia Vet­ leaders in establishing a veterinary erinary College. These schools were more schooL His efforts were of no avail, how­ successful than their predecessor and ever, and nearly half a century passed produced several hundred graduates. before definite steps were taken in this The course of study by 1880 had been direction. extended to two terms consisting of six The first school of veterinary medicine months each ( 1 ). The majority of the in the United States was established at faculty in these early schools held both Philadelphia in 1852. Although a faculty veterinary and medical degrees. The fees and buildings were provided and an­ for a regular session amounted to approxi­ nouncements freely distributed, the school mately 150 dollars. could not interest in attending. By this time the profession had made In the words of Dr. Robert Jennings, the some inroad on the number of quacks. It founder of the school (9), "- young men was estimated by Dr. Bates (4) that in of education and respectability would not 1881, eight hundred veterinarians were engage in a profession of so low a stand­ practicing in the United States. Over half ing. In that day the of veterinary were graduates; a few were reliable non­ surgeon was rarely heard, and but few graduates and the rest were considered to persons in this country understood its be quacks.

84 Iowa State University Veterinarian Another source of veterinarians during followed; at Harvard in 1882, Pennsyl­ this period was the bogus veterinary de­ vania in 1884, Ohio in 1885, Cornell in gree. The following editorial (7) presents 1896 and Washington in 1899. With the the evidence: ". . . we infer that consider­ exception of the school at Harvard these able business in this direction has been schools are still functioning. Demands done somewhere in this country. We for greater state support for all phases print, in part, one characteristic letter of higher education were prevalent dur­ from a western man who 'meant busi­ ing this time. This was the period when ness' ; 'Desire a diploma, but cannot much of our higher educational structure spend time necessary to get one. Will was being reshaped around the pattern give just 150 dollars for same - if we of the highly esteemed German State can deal; if not, all right. Anything you Universities. Dr. James Law, the first may say upon the subject will be strictly Dean of the Veterinary School at Cornel], between us.' Sincerely, etc. 'P.S. You expressed the common sentiment of the need not take the trouble to send me a time in his inaugural address of 1896. lecture upon the immorality of my prop­ After contrasting the type of schools exist­ osition; it would be wasted. Am a west­ ing in the United States with those in ern man, and will do just as I agree, qui­ Europe, especially those in Germany, Dr. etly, as it will be of a service to me and Law (IO) pointed out, "These continental cost you nothing: " veterinary colleges would have been no The Period of Rapid Expansion more thorough than the English or Amer­ ican had they been dependent on private Between the years of 1879 and 1900 enterprise. But there is no veterinary col­ twenty-three veterinary schools were lege on the continent of Europe today that established. Today only five of these are is not a ward of the government. Each still in existence. The majority of these one has been founded and is sustained by schools were proprietary in nature. Since the commonwealth-." their existence depended almost entirely From the beginning, the tax supported on fees, their primary concern schools were superior in quality to the was to produce as many graduates as proprietary schools. They offered a more possible. In order to do this, their stan­ thorough curriculum, were more strict in dards were generally very low. Completion their matriculation requirements, and ex­ of grade school was considered to be the tended the course of study to three ses­ minimum requirement for entrance, but sions of eight months each. some schools were willing to waive this requirement in light of maturity and prac­ The Prolific Period tical experience. The schools were located in large cities. Their physical plant usually In the years between 1900 and 1918, consisted of an old livery stable or some the profession experienced its most pro­ similar type of building. Since most of ductive period. During this period over the instructors maintained a private prac­ 10,000 veterinarians were graduated from tice along with their teaching duties, the 27 veterinary colleges. From 1910 to 1918 strong part of the curriculum was develop­ an average of 757 students was graduated ed around the clinical area. When the each year (12) . Late in this period the students were not dissecting or in lecture four-year course of study was adopted they accompanied the professor on pri­ by the majority of the schools. Another vate calls (8). improvement in the standards came when Coinciding with the remarkable increase the entrance requirements were raised by in the number of proprietary schools was the state supported schools, and a few of the beginning of an even more Significant the private schools, from the grade school development; the establishment of veter­ certificate to successful completion of high inary schools connected with tax support­ school. ed and endowed colleges. The first was It was during this time that schools founded in Iowa in 1879. Others rapidly were founded at Alabama, Arkansas, Colo-

Issue 2, 1960-61 85 rado, Georgia, Kansas, Michigan, and tration on technical studies during the Texas. The schools at Arkansas and professional years and gave the student at Georgia remained open for only a few least some chance for cultural sub.iects years, but the other five have functioned in the pre-veterinary year. In the latter continuously. part of this same decade the schools brought about a further improvement in The Years of Adjustment the quality of the entering student by Immediately following World War I the establishing the practice of selectively numbers of graduates dropped sharply restricting the number of beginning stu­ and continued dropping until 1927. From dents. 1918 to 1930 the schools produced a Re-expansion yearly average of less than 200 students ( 11 ). The number of schools fell from a The second World War brought great high of 23 in 1916 to a low of ten in 1933. changes to American agriculture and thus Several reasons are responsible for this to veterinary medicine. Demands for phenomenal reduction- in students and veterinary service rose almost as sharply schools. Many people were of the opinion as the values for livestock. At the same that the rapid replacement of the horse by time the military services were also com­ the automobile was to be the death-blow peting for the veterinarian's talents. These of the veterinary profession. There just demands coupled with the fact that more wasn't any future in becoming a "horse veterinarians were at retirement age than doctor." The poor condition of agriculture there were men to replace them created during the twenties offered little stimula­ an acute vacuum in the profession. In an tion to extend the profession into that effort to remedy the situation the schools area. The proprietary schools, being push­ were mobilized under the A.S.T.P. (Army ed on the one hand by the decrease in Specialized Training Program). The pro­ student enrollment and on the other by fessional training was stepped up so that the association for improved standards, it was completed in two years and eight gave up the struggle and rapidly disap­ months of continuous study. Although the peared from the American scene. The last A.S.T.P. lasted for only a short time in private school closed its doors in 1927. the field of veterinary medicine, the step­ Starting with 1927, being stimulated ped up program was continued through­ by an improved agriculture and an en­ out the war years. larging interest in small animals, the num­ After the war, prices of animal pro­ ber of graduates began to rise slowly. This ducts soared still higher and veterinar­ increase, oddly enough, continued through ians services were even more in demand. the depresion years of the thirties. The Returning veterans, wanting to enter upon reason often cited for this apparent pros­ a course of veterinary training under the perity during such dark days is that since G.!. bill, were often hadicapped by the other professions were overcrowded, stu­ lack of a school in their home state. dents chose the underpopulated field of Classes were readily filled in the existing veterinary medicine in which to establish schools from a huge backlog of residents their careers. As contrasted to other pro­ of the respective states. This situation, fessions, few veterinarians were forced to along with the continuous cry for more engage in work outside their profession veterinarians, brought about a clamor in during the depression years. The federally many states for the establishment of vet­ supported tuberculosis eradication pro­ erinary schools. In response to these gram also played an important role in the demands, seven veterinary schools were revitalization of the veterinary profession. founded between the years 1945 and 1948. Between the years of 1931 and 1936, These schools are located at Tuskegee In­ the schools extended the course of study stitute, Georgia, Missouri, Oklahoma, to five years. This established the pre­ Minnesota, Illinois, and California. A late­ veterinary year which allowed full concen- comer to this new group of schools is the

86 Iowa State University Veterinarian one founded at Purdue University in 1957. 3. Arburua, J. M.: History of Veterinary This brings the total of veterinary schools Medicine. J.A.V.M.A. 85, (1934): 10-38. in the United States to eighteen. 4. Bates, E. S.: Veterinary Education. Jour. Compo Med. Surg., 2, (1881): 230-245. By 1949 all the schools had extended 5. Bierer, B. W.: American Veterinary His­ the pre-veterinary requirement to two tory. Mimeographed and issued by years. This has allowed ample time for the author, 1940. student to gain a sound foundation in the 6. Christensen, G. C.: Genesis of Veterinary sciences and to become acquainted with Education in the United S tat e s. J.A.V.M.A., 128, (1956): 437-440. a few of the humanistic studies. 7. Editorial: Bogus Veterinary Medical De­ This brief review of the history and grees. Jour. Compo Med. Surg. 2, (1881): developmental struggles of veterinary edu­ 230-245. 8. Hagan, W. A.: Veterinary Medical Edu­ cation brings us to the present, and there­ cation - Its Evolution and Present fore, to the threshold of the future. Our Status. J.A.V.M.A., 118, (1951): 287-292. interest naturally lies in this direction. 9. Jennings, R.: The Early History of Vet­ The concluding portion of this paper erinary Medicine in the United States. will deal with, "Where to from Here in Jour. Compo Med. Surg., 4, (1883): 42- 49; 5, (1884): 25-32. Veterinary Education." This article will 10. Law, James: Inauguration Address of appear in our spring issue. New York State Veterinary College, Sept. 24, 1896. Am. Vet. Review, 20, (1896): REFERENCES 645-652. 1. Advertisement: Columbia Veterinary Col­ 11. Stange, C. H.: Problems in the Field of lege. Jour. Compo Med. Surg., 2, (1881): Veterinary Education. Vet. Med., 28, 151. (1933): 480-483, 485. 2. Advertisement: Dr. G. H. Dadd's School 12. Stange, C. H.: What About Veterinary for Veterinary Medicine and Surgery. Education? J.A.V.M.A., 83, (1933): 584- Am. Vet. Jour., 3, (1858): 338. 592.

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