The Early Veterinary Profession In North America

As in Britain, few considered veterinary medicine a fit pursuit for educated persons, and by 1850 only a dozen or so graduate veterinarians practiced in America.

Before the Civil war, the veterinary profession was small in number, unorganized, diverse and poorly trained. They made up of a group of men who were farriers, blacksmiths, foreign trained veterinarians and physicians (both schooled and unschooled), with little regulation and largely urban.

Yet by 1850, There Were No Veterinary Schools In The United States

By 1850, fewer than two dozen veterinarians had immigrated from Europe to America, there still were no veterinary schools in the United States. During the last quarter of the nineteenth century, however, the number of veterinarians in the U.S. increased. Some were European immigrants, others came from schools in Canada (and for the first time there were graduates from schools on this continent).

The Early History of U.S.Organized Veterinary Medical Associations

During the 1850’s things began to happen in American veterinary circles. Only a handful of veterinarians was listed in the census of 1850, yet hundreds of “practitioners” decided they were veterinarians and belonged in the field of veterinary medicine by the census of 1860. It was very unlikely that hundreds of veterinarians “graduated” in some way or another during this 10-year period.

The first legally organized veterinary schools were formed, and veterinarians first began to think seriously of organizing.

The Founding of The United States Veterinary Medical

Association

“Organized veterinary medicine had its shaky beginning in Philadelphia in 1854, when Robert Jennings, a non-graduate practitioner, helped found the American Veterinary Association. This group was superseded in 1863, when Jennings and others founded the United States Veterinary Medical Association (USVMA) in New York City.”

In 1863, there were only about 400 veterinarians in seven eastern states.

The United States Veterinary Medical

Association was formed at the organizational meeting on June 9-10, 1863

at the Astor House in New York City

The Seal of The USAMA and The Original Minute Book Containing The Records of All

Meetings Held From June 9, 1863, to October 20, 1894

The minutes of the first meeting are in the handwriting of Dr. Alexandre Liautard, secretary. Four pages were removed from the front of the book and the following notation appears inscribed along the narrow margins left when the four pages were removed: “Margin of leaves on which Dr. Jennings inserted minutes of meetings held in Philadelphia previous to the formation of this Assoc. and while acting as secretary.”

Here is The Flyleaf of The Minute Book With The Original Copy of

The Constitution and By-laws of The USVMA

This historic document was signed by the following: Josiah H. Stickney, Boston, MA; George W. Bowler, Cincinnati, OH; Arthur S. Copeman, Utica, NY; Isaiah Michener, Bucks County PA; R. H. Curtis, Brooklyn, NY; John Busteed, New York, NY; William A. Wisdom, Wilmington, DE. (For some reason the signature of R. H. Curtis had been crossed out).

At this organizational meeting in June of 1863, a group of 40 delegates representing seven states: New York, New Jersey, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, Maine, Ohio and Delaware.

The USVMA was founded for the purpose of promoting quality veterinary services, humane treatment and self-improvement through education. At the first meeting, which was held on September 6, 1864 in New York City, NY, the organization adopted its seal, featured Chiron the centaur (the teacher of Aesculapius) – symbolic of the antiquity of veterinary medicine; established its motto, “Non Nobis Solum” [Not For Us Alone].” In its first 10 years, the USVMA got off to a rough start, as it grew very slowly, gaining only one new member in its first decade.

What is Believed To Be The Oldest Existing Document Relating To The AVMA

is a “List Of Officers And Members Of The United States Veterinary Medical Association.”

The exact date of this publication is unknown, as the list bears no date. However, the officers whose names are shown on the left-hand page served for the year 1887-1888, so it is reasonable to presume that the list was published sometime during 1888. There are 171 names on the list of regular members.

Dr. Josiah H. Stickney, of BostonBecame The First President of The USVMA

1863 -1864

The United States Veterinary Medical Association was formed with 38 charter members from seven eastern states. The first president was Dr. Josiah H. Stickney, at the age of 37, a graduate of Harvard Medical School in Boston with a MD degree in 1858 and qualified at the Royal Veterinary College in London with a MRCVS degree in 1859.

Dr. Stickney was born in 1826 and died in 1901, at the age of 75 yrs.

Dr. Alexandre Liautard USVMA President (1875-1877, 1886-1887)

Born in Paris, in 1835, obtained his veterinary degree from Toulouse Veterinary College in 1856. He received his MD from Univ. Medical College, New York City in 1865. Served as the Dean of the New York University Veterinary college for twenty-five years (1864-1889). Considered by many veterinary historians as the “A Father of the American veterinary profession.”

Dr. Rush Shippen HuidekoperUSVMA President (1887-1889,1890-92)

1877: M.D. University of Pennsylvania

1881: Studied veterinary medicine at Alfort

Technical Training in Laboratories ofVirchow, Koch, Chauveau, and Pasteur

1883: University of Pennsylvania Professor of Internal Pathology

1883-89 Dean of Veterinary Faculty

Descendent of Benjamin Rush

Dr. Daniel Elmer SalmonUSVMA President (1897 – 1898)

Dr. Daniel Salmon, first Chief of the Bureau of Animal Industry in 1884, and the last USVMA president, 1897-1898.

The first D.V.M. degree from Cornell University was awarded in 1876 to Dr. Salmon, which was the loose equivalent of a Ph.D. in today’s standards.  This D.V.M. degree, incidentally, the first such degree ever to have been conferred in North America and possibly in the entire world.

The USVMA Changes Its Name To The American Veterinary Medical Association

After thirty-five years, the renaming of the USVMA as the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) took place in Omaha, Nebraska, in September 6, 7 & 8,1898.

The [reason the] USVMA changed its name when, in extending its sovereignty beyond adjacent international boundaries, thus its name was changed to the American Veterinary Medical Association.

Dr. A. W. Clement Became The First AVMA President in 1898

Dr. Albert W. Clement became the first president of the newly named organization, the American Veterinary Medical Association, at the age of 41. Graduated from McGill University in 1882.

He was born in 1857 and died in 1899, the year after his presidentacy.

Dr. Roscoe BellAVMA President (1903 – 1904)

Dr. Roscoe Bell earned his D.V.S. degree from the American Veterinary College in 1887, was on the faculty of the American Veterinary College and the New York-American Veterinary College. He served as president of the AVMA in 1903–1904. Dr. Bell was the co-editor with Dr. Liautard of the highly acclaimed medical journal, American Veterinary Review.

Dr. James LawAVMA President (1906 – 1907)

Dr. James Law, a distinguished veterinarian and teacher, received his training at Edinburgh Veterinary College in Scotland, was hired in 1865 to establish a veterinary school at Cornell University in Ithaca, New York.

Dr. Law began teaching students in 1868, thus the first veterinary students at a university in the United States.

Dr. John G. RutherfordAVMA President (1908 -1909)

Dr. John Gunion Rutherford was born in Scotland, graduated from the Ontario Veterinary College, was Veterinary Director General of Canada from 1902-12, and Livestock Commissioner of Canada from 1906-12. He also served in the Manitoba Legislature and the Canadian House of Commons. Early in the century, Rutherford was instrumental in establishing the policies and procedures that would lead to the eventual eradication of glanders.

Dr. Alonzo D. MelvinAVMA President (1909 -1910)

Dr. Alonzo Melvin graduated from the Chicago Veterinary College in 1886, was the second Chief of the Bureau of Animal Industry from 1905 to 1917, and AVMA president 1909–1910.

Dr. DDr. Elinor McGrath, was the first woman to graduate from the Chicago Veterinary College in 1910. Dr. McGrath was the first woman to be admitted to membership at the 53rd annual meeting of the AVMA in 1916 in Detroit. She practiced small animal medicine in Chicago for more than 35 years in a neighborhood largely filled with immigrants from all over Europe.

dDr. Elinor McGrath(1878-1963)

Dr. Bobbye Alexander Chancellor was the first woman elected Vice-President of the AVMA in 1978, for two terms making her also the first to sit on the AVMA Executive Board.

Dr. Chancellor transformed the Vice-President's role into the Board's Liaison to veterinary students. No other woman was elected to the Executive Board until 1990.

Dr. Bobbye Chancellor(1978-1980)

Dr. Mary Beth Leininger, was the first woman AVMA president, in 1996. Dr. Leininger was a small animal practitioner in Plymouth, Michigan. Her main issue was greater communication from members to the leadership, and her campaign was the first to use electronic media, a Q&A on NOAH. Earlier Dr. Leininger had served for nine years on the AVMA Council of Public Relations.

Dr. Mary Beth Leininger(1996-1997)

Private Veterinary Colleges(1875 – 1927)

With the pressing need for veterinarians created by an ever increasing demand for horse power, private American veterinary colleges grew rapidly.

During this time, many private veterinary colleges were offering two year programs (four months per year), which culminated in granting the degree of Veterinary Surgeon (VS). A large percentage of draft and pleasure horses made up the largest part of the veterinary practices in the U.S. at that time.

The Chicago Veterinary College1883 - 1920

A general education was required and was proven by an admission examination. Their curriculum initially consisted of a four month session each year, over a two year period; they were referred to as ”two-year” men. Of all of the 26 private American veterinary colleges, this college graduated the largest number of veterinarians (2610) over the period of 37 years.

Kansas City (MO) Veterinary College was founded in 1891 as a two year college, in 1896 it became a three-year veterinary college. It was considered by many as the best private veterinary college of that day. It became the second largest with a total of 1789 graduates.

The KCVC main building built in 1903

Kansas City Veterinary College (1891-1918)

McKillip Veterinary College (Chicago) was known as the largest practice in the world, as part of the class instruction, students would work with their professors in a clinical practice outside the college. Classes started with a course of three collegiate years of six months each. This college produced 1223 graduates from 1897 until it closed in 1920.

McKillip Veterinary College (1892 -1920)

St. Louis Veterinary Dental College

In 1905, the St. Louis Veterinary Dental College was housed in this building at 2301 Locust Street, for only six months. This building dates back to 1891, was originally the Beethoven Conservatory of Music.

In 1868, Cornell University became unique in being a publicly-funded, but administrated at a private land-grant university. It was the first university to hire a professor of veterinary medicine and began teaching veterinary students that year. However, there were only four veterinary graduates between 1876 and 1894.  The degree was B.V.Sc. for veterinarian and D.V.M. for the loose equivalent of a Ph.D. for further graduate study.

The first state university veterinary colleges

The New York State Veterinary College at Cornell University was established in 1894. The nation’s first veterinary degree (DVM) was granted at Cornell in 1876 to Daniel Salmon, best known as the discoverer of Salmonella. The College also granted the first veterinary degree to an American woman, Florence Kimball (1910).

James Law Hall

Cornell University (1894 – present)

In 1879, Iowa State College became the first school of veterinary medicine to establish a distinct veterinary college with land-grant money. Length of course: 1879-1886, two years; 1887-1902, three years; 1903 to the present, four years.

The first year (1880) there were only 5 graduates.

Old Veterinary Hospital, 1885-1912

Iowa State Veterinary College (1879 - present)

Dr. Benjamin Rush, head of the Medical School, recommended the establishment of a veterinary school in 1807.

In 1884, the Department of Veterinary Medicine was established at the University of Pennsylvania with a three year course. The School of Veterinary Medicine was developed in 1910, Old Vet Quadrangle

then in 1916 the school offered a

four year curriculum at Penn in 1884.

University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine (1884 – present)

Michigan State College was founded in 1855 by the State of Michigan with its own state grants. Michigan State model provided a for the precedent for the federal Morrill Act of 1862. Michigan State College College School of Veterinary Medicine was was established in 1910. Length of course: four years. The first year (1913) with one graduate and then the second year they had two graduates. Giltner Hall

Michigan State College School of Veterinary Medicine (1910 – present)

USVMA Twenty-Fifth Annual MeetingSeptember 18, 1888

Rossmore Hotel, New York City, New York

Dr. Rush S. Huidekoper elected president

Papers presented:Origin of the Domestication of the HorseBovine TuberculosisMad Itch in CattleCommittee to draft resolution Contagiousness of TB to manPresent to Medical CongressWashington, D.C.

The AVMA 50th Anniversary CelebrationHotel Astor, New York City, September 1-5, 1913

The AVMA Diamond Jubilee MeetingJuly 5 -9, 1938 in New York City, New York

The AVMA held their 75th annual convention in New York City, NY. This meeting would commemorate the 75th anniversary of the founding of the Association. It would return to the city in which it was organized, to celebrate its Diamond Jubilee.

AVMA Centennial ConventionAmericana Hotel, New York City

1863 -1963July 27-August 1, 1963

Record-Breaking Attendance

5,038 veterinarians and visitors

2,243 veterinarians

877 women

483 children

823 exhibitor representatives

168 veterinary students

444 guests

AVMA 150TH Anniversary ConventionJuly 20-23, 2013 Chicago, Illinois

United States Veterinary Medical Association

In 1863, the official symbol of the USVMA was the god Chiron as represented by the figure of half man and half horse. It appeared on the cover of the official Journal of the

AVMA after the AVMA purchased the American Veterinary Review in 1915.

The New AVMA Emblem Adopted in 1922

In 1919, both the San Joaquin Veterinary Medical Association in Fresno, CA and the California State Veterinary Medical Association adopted the Caduceus emblem.

Then, at the 59th AVMA Convention in St. Louis, MO in 1922, the House of Delegates adopted the Caduceus emblem with the “V” superimposed.

Caduceus Aesculapius

Starting in 1933, this small group of AVMA members proposed for many years in changing this emblem. Even in 1934, when numerous journals wrote of the concerns that the Caduceus became confused with the symbol of

Aesculapius, as having a medical connection.

American Veterinary Medical Association

Then this small group of AVMA members, lead by Dr. Joseph M. Arburua, started in 1933 and joined later by Dr. J. Fred Smithcors,

both from California, tried to change the official logo of the AVMA. After four attempts, they convinced the House of Delegates at the 107th AVMA Convention in Las Vegas, NV in July of 1970, to adopt

the Aesculapian image. It was a 37 year struggle, to prove a point.

American Veterinary Medical Association

The official emblem of the AVMA as we know it today, was adopted at the 107th AVMA Convention in Las Vegas, NV in July, 1970. The following story is of a small group of AVMA members that were determined to correct a historical error.