Valuing Animals: Veterinarians and Their Patients in Modern America (Animals, History, Culture)
A well-researched book that explores the impact of the value of an animal or its species in shaping the development of the veterinary profession.(Vet Med Today)A fascinating read and was refreshingly not a tale of inexorable scientific and medical progress toward an idyllic present... brings to light the hows and whys of veterinary medicine and gave me a measure of self-awareness of my professional roots and current role in American society.(Jodie GerdinJournal of the History of Medicine)This study by Susan Jones is very welcome. Based on a wide variety of scientific and popular sources, she has approached the history of veterinary medicine and the veterinary profession in twentieth-century America from a perspective of changing human-animal relationships, particularly the changing economic and emotional value of domesticated animals... Original and compelling.(Peter A. KoolmeesMedical History)Jones's study reveals particularly well the dynamic connections between the history of veterinary medicine and the history of American cultural preoccupations with animals.(Nigel RothfelsAmerican Historical Review)[Valuing Animals] stimulates thought about the role of veterinarians and how veterinarians interact with their patients and with people who seek guidance and confirmation as to the value of animals.(Anthrozoos)[Jones] has a compelling view, and this book is a gem.(G. Terry SharrerJournal of American History)Jones' lively and well-written book traces the evolution of the veterinary profession in the twentieth century from the 'horse doctor' of 1900 to today's scientific practitioner.(Journal of Interdisciplinary History)A fascinating survey of the changing relationships between Americans and their animals, as mediated by the veterinary profession.(Choice)Thoroughly researched, with extensive endnotes (many annotated) and an essay on sources, this book makes important contributions to the diverse fields of economic sociology, comparative medicine, human-animal relationships, American history, and American popular culture.(Choice)This fine book will set new standards for thorough research and scholarly excellence in the recording of veterinary medicine. It will greatly enhance the knowledge of and appreciation for the veterinary profession as a unique, often poorly understood, but vitally significant force in American twentieth-century history.(Elizabeth A. Lawrence, Professor Emerita, Tufts University School of Veterinary Medicine)