Veterinary History
&
Gender
Comments about Women in
Veterinary Medicine
Also: Minorities & Veterinary Medicine

by Roger Ross, DVM
Introduction...

Veterinary medicine in the United States has changed dramatically in recent decades.

Forty years ago, cows, horses and other livestock were the primary patients.

Being a vet was regarded as a rough, dirty and sometimes dangerous job - or, in the language of the day, "a man's work."

Not any more!

Before 1972, there were fewer than 500 female veterinarians in the United States.   Around that time, Congress passed several landmark education acts forbidding colleges from denying qualified women a place in their classrooms.

Almost immediately, the number of women enrolled in vet schools shot up.

"It used to be that high school guidance counselors told women, 'Well, you can't be a veterinarian,' so they wouldn't even think about it," said Dr. Bonnie Beaver, president-elect of the American Veterinary Medical Association and a professor at Texas A&M's vet school.

Today, care of large or farm animals is still a sizable industry. But the majority of vets nationwide work on the family pet, not the family farm.   And modern medicine and sedatives also allow male and female veterinarians of any size to safely work on even the largest livestock.

There are many more people wishing to go to veterinary school than there are places and modern veterinary colleges now select students based mostly on academic achievement...grades in college science and agricultural courses as well as graduate level "placement" tests.  For whatever reason, women are slaughtering men in academia; I understand that most valedictorians in high schools and universities across the land are female.  As a result, about 70 plus percent of all veterinary students in the US are now women.  This is also true of pharmacy school; Mostly women.  I don't know what the percentages are for law, business, and human medical schools, but it's obvious that higher and higher percentages of successful canidates are women.

I, a previously mildly chauvanistic male, have no problem women in our profession other than to worry about the reasons for the comparatively poor performance of boys in our schools.  Have they been psychologically neutered by all the P.C. changes in our education system?

My only other comment doesn't have much to do with gender...I've found many of my female colleagues are exceptionally skillful, and just as tough;  but veterinary medicine ... even more so than human medicine ... requires more than book smarts.  It requires a "way with animals" and a lot of skills passing tubes, catheters, applying splints, pregancy checking, palpating, and evaluating lameness'.  And it's still a dirty, bloody business with long hours that can leave you bone weary.   We don't have any easy way to measure these traits of potential students.

At any rate, my respects to all my female colleagues.  I dedicate this page to you.   Roger Ross, DVM   Seneca, SC
On This Page:

"If It Weren't For Veterinarians, Women in the U.S. might not have Won The Vote!"

"If It Weren't For Women, There Might Not Be Many Veterinarians!"

Misc Articles, Comments, Facts,
and so forth about the role and experiences of women in veterinary medicine.

Comments and articles about the role of religion and culture in veterinary medicine...
coming soon

Comments and articles about non whites in veterinary medicine... coming soon


Home; Animal Pet Doctor    Our Veterinary Hospital in beautiful Seneca, South Carolina    Our No-Kill Shelter
There are many more links to our other pages below on your left.  There is a complete directory of links at the bottom of the page.
Women say to the vet profession: "Let me in"
GENDER COMPOSITION OF THE VETERINARY PROFESSION

Until very recently, veterinary medicine was a male dominated profession. In 1930, there were only 30 women veterinary graduates in the U.S. In 1986, there were approximately 7,000, 16% of the total active veterinary work force. In 1987, 48% U.S. veterinary medical graduates of that year, 55% of all U.S. veterinary students and 57% of the students admitted to U.S. veterinary medical colleges, were women. If this trend continues, veterinary medicine soon will become a female dominated profession. The proportion of female graduates of veterinary medical colleges exceeds that of other health professions with the exception of pharmacy and nursing.

Surveys of working women veterinarians reveal that there is a tendency for more women to work parttime than men, that they are paid lower salaries, and that they have more difficulty integrating their professional and personal lives than do male veterinarians. Work force data suggests that women veterinary practitioners participate in professional activities at twothirds the level of participation of men. AVMA data shows that women veterinarians constituted 21% of the small animal practice and 22% of the college and university veterinary work forces, but only 6% to 7% of the large animal practice and 8% of the state and federal government work forces in 1986. The proportion of women in the national veterinary work force will expand rapidly if the present dominance of women among veterinary graduates is maintained. It should be noted that in the U.S.S.R for many years there have been more women than men veterinarians.

There are few reliable indicators of what the longterm implications are of the rapid change in gender composition of the veterinary medical profession. It is known, however, that women have different outlooks than men on many matters, including job satisfaction and job opportunity. Women on the average are believed to be more caring, nurturing of patients, and more sensitive to the anxieties and emotional needs of clients, than are men. These attributes may have contributed to the attraction of veterinary medicine to women as a career. Veterinary medical education has become increasingly concerned with clinical practice and has not projected in its student recruitment efforts as much concern for animal production, technological or public sector opportunities, in the profession. Thus, the changing nature of the colleges themselves may inadvertently have contributed to the increased proportion of women to men applicants. Gender probably will influence career choice after broadening the profession as visualized in this report.

Women also are thought to be less entreoreneurial than graduation, which may constrain or slow men and willing to work with less autonomy. this thesis is true, the presence of more women in the practicing profession would likely modify the strong tendency of veterinarians for independence and to work for themselves in small groups. This might have a very positive effect on improving the efficiency of the veterinary delivery system. In other professions, women have tended to be less inclined to enter research careers or in highly technological aspects of the profession as contrasted to those activities that are more people oriented.

In pharmacy a profession which also is undergoing a gender change even greater than veterinary medicine, studies reveal that graduates of the past five years function in the profession the same as do men graduates of the same period. For example, 25% of these women pharmacists are in management ranks, the same proportion as men who started working in the same period. Thus women in this group had been promoted at the same rate as men. When women pharmacists become managers, 75% have other pharmacists reporting to them, the same percentage as men. The number of reportees was 2.3 for women and 2.1 for men. Women and men pharmacists also worked in the same size and kinds of organizations. Women pharmacists who started work in the last ten years were paid on the average 90% as much per year as were men. However, when these data were converted to an hourly rate, the rate of pay for men and women pharmacists was identical. Women pharmacists have already attained equal recognition and equal rewards in their profession.

It generally is believed that the major impact of the women's movement has already been felt by the professions and that the proportion of men to women entering the health professions will stabilize at near the current level. It also is believed that generational changes in expectations of both men and women soon will eliminate inequalities in salary, working conditions and professional advancement which currently exist between men and women professionals. The change in the gender of the veterinary profession has been rapid and marked, and is one of the most important internal changes confronting the profession. The veterinary medical profession should give high priority to funding high quality social science research designed to determine what impact the gender change will have on the ability of the veterinary profession to fulfill society's needs. It has the potential for having too great an impact on the profession and its ability to serve society to be left undone.
"If It Weren't For Veterinarians, Women in the U.S. might not have Won The Vote!"

Is this true?  Probably not, but there is a connection and I couldn't resist the headline.

Here's what I'm thinking:

At the turn of the century (just before and after 1900), various activist groups...mostly made up of women... were at odds with veterinarians over using animals in medical research. 

Back then, these groups were called "Anti-vivisectionists".  And women in general were furious when a veterianary AVMA leader testifying before congress dismissed the women in these groups as "shrill and silly" fools not willing to sacrifice a few animals in medical research in order to save millions on our farms and ranches.

But on other matters, with other activist groups, again with  mostly female members, the veterinary profession (99% male) was in strong agreement:  In the political fight to pass laws demanding wholesome, disease free food...especially milk and meat; women and veterinarians were in league.

In 1906, with the help of President Teddy Roosevelt, the Clean Food Act and The Meat Inspection Act were passed.  I believe this was the first major polical success achieved by American Women.  These were excellent, much needed laws, and most of the credit should go to the activist, political demands made by women's groups.

However, it's my humble (and it truth, mostly in the interest of humor) idea that without the support of the veterinary profession, these laws might not have passed.  And further, if women and all the "lady's clubs" that organized in protest against filthy food and contaminated milk were not successful in their campaign....   here it comes   ....   perhaps they would have lost the political momentum that led 14 years later in winning the vote, and prohibition, and all the other issues being promoted by such groups!

Thanks God for veterinarians.






























"If It Weren't For Women, There Might Not Be Many Veterinarians!"

In the semi-serious article above I contend that activist groups consisting mainly of women deserved much if not most of the credit for getting the Clean Food Act and the Meat Inspection Act of 1906 passed through Congress.

If this is true...then veterinarians owe a great deal to these women activists, because without the passage of these Food Inspection Acts it's pretty certain that many if not most fledging veterinary schools would have floundered and closed.

Animal diseases ...hog cholera, TB, Hoof & Mouth Disease, Brucellosis, Tick Fever, Glanders, Rinderpest ...some of which are dangerous to humans ...were causing tremendous economic losses during the late 1800's and early 1900's, so the country badly needed animal scientists to study and combat these problems.  In charge was the Bureau of Animal Industries with Veterinarian Daniel Salmon in charge.

But almost all veterinarians were horse doctors at the time and with the historically rapid change over from a horse based economy to trucks and cars and motorized machinery, the veterinary business was in a panic and a slump.

Veterinary School admissions were down 75%.

Almost all private veterianary colleges closed their doors.

Budding veterinary programs ... including the one in my own state of South Carolina never got off the ground.

Veterinary College Deans were desperate for students and in the words of a book written in 1920 even accepted "women and Negros"!

But what saved the profession was the huge infusion of government money that was associated with the Meat Inspection Act and The Clean Food Act.  Also important to the profession is that Dr Salmon of the BIA convinced Congress that these programs needed to be conducted by graduate veterinarians.

Whatever else you might be thinking about all of this, we can be extremely proud of the results:

Partly because of women's activists groups, the Clean Food Act and the Meat Inspection Act were passed.

Because of these Acts, there was and increasing demand for veterinarians ... a profession that was otherwise floundering with the demise of the horse industry.  Remaining veterinary colleges started to focus on the new sciences of bacteriology, zoonotics, parasitology, and livestock health of animals other than horses.

And because of the resulting effort to combat animal and food borne diseases, we now live in a country with extremely inexpensive and wholesome food.

The veterinary profession owes a great deal to the women's groups who demanded food purity in the early 1900's.






1910
Cornell Veterinary College graduates the first female veterinarian in the US.  Her name is Florence Kimball and you can read about her at some other early women veterinians on our page titled: Fascinating profiles of some early women veterinarians in the United States


1933
Washington State College graduates its first female veterinarian, Catherine Elizabeth Roberts. She goes on to be the first licensed female veterinarian in California and is among only twelve in the nation at the time.

1980's
Most veterinary classes are approximately gender equal... as many or more women students as men.


This Century
Veterinary classes are predominately white women

The newer concern, especially among the politically correct crowd is engineering racial and ethnic diversity in our profession.

Black students account for just 2 percent of the nearly 9,600 students enrolled in veterinary colleges nationwide and in Canada. Asian and Hispanic students account for just 3 percent each.

As far as I can tell, though, these unequal racial and ethical numbers in our profession are NOT due to discrimination any longer.  Our professional colleges are bending over backwards to entice, encourage, favor, and admit non white students.

The problem is certainly associated with historical discrimination, but also with great cultural differences in how different races, cultures, Muslims, and Asians interact with animals.  These cultural and religious differences seems to be quickly dissolving and my prediction is that within the next 30-50 years there won't be any more "diversity" issues

This part of my veterinary site, though, is about history, and there's no dodging that veterinary medicine ... like most professions with the exceptions of teaching, nursing, and clerical work was dominated by white males.

But there was a big exception; starting in the 1940's, many black veterinarians have graduated from Tuskegee Institute's College of Veterinary Medicine in Alabama


On Other Pages

Introduction to the History of Veterinary Medicine

Veterinary Medicine before 1800

1800-1850

1850-1880

1880-1900

1900-1910

1910-1920

1920-1950

1950's    

1960's    

1970's    

1980's    

1990's

Veterinary History: The 2000's   
 
Also

Fascinating profiles of some early women veterinarians in the United States

The interesting battle against Hoof and Mouth Disease on the Mexican Border,   
Black Leg Disease, and Anthrax

A short history of Biological Warfare

Wars that started over PIGS

History of Antibiotics including the critical role played by the Pfizer Company

A little history about some milestones in treating heart disease

Veterinary History of South Carolina

A history of the Pet Food Industry

On Our Other Pages
(not about History)

Home/Contents

Why some vets are so expensive

Abscesses The treatment of wounds, lacerations etc

Arthritis, Lameness, Joint and Bone Problems

Behavior Issues & Treatment

Birds

Bladder & Kidney Problems Infections, Stones, Crystals, Incontinence

Blood Disorders; Strokes, Vascular Diseases, Anemias, DVT, DIC, Blood Parasites, Rat Poison, Bleeding disorders etc

Cancer; Masses, Lumps and Bumps.  Surgical Treatment of Masses

Cats: Fun or interesting stuff about cats and a discussion about the diseases common in our feline companions to include Leukemia, Feline AIDS, & Cat Scratch Fever.

Cats that just aren't feeling well

Dentistry Discussion about the great importance of gum health and Oral Hygiene.

Diabetes
About the diagnosis and treatment of this very common problem in both cats and dogs

Dogs:  a hodge podge page of stuff about dogs.

Ear Problems
How I treat ear mites, ear allergies, aural hematomas, and ear infections.  This is my forte.

Eye Problems  and Ophthalmic Diseases Including:
Cataracts, Corneal Ulcers, Ingrown Lashes, Disautomia, Retinal problems, and Excessive Tearing

Exotics:  Pocket Pets, Rabbits, Hamsters and other little creatures

Heart disease; Cardiac diseases, vascular diseases, Stroke, heartworm treatment and prevention

History of Veterinary Medicine; lots of interesting stuff    

History of the Discovery of Antibiotics

The Human-Animal Bond
Comments & Stories about this topic close to my heart

Infectious Diseases  Colds, Distemper, Parvo, Lepto, Bruceellosis, Panleukopenia, Feline AIDS, Leukemia, Hepatitis, Kennel Cough, Ringworm, Rabies, FIP, Canine Herpes, Toxic Shock Syndrome, & More

Insurance:
Why I like and recommend Pet Insurance

Intestinal problems:diarrhea, constipation, torsion, indigestion, and gas.  Parvo, Dysentery

Kidney Diseases

Lab Tests; what they tell us

Liver Diseases     

Medications/Pharmacy Page

Metabolic Diseases: Diabetes, Thyroid Disease, Cushing's, Addison's, Pancreatitis, obesity as a disease

Neural Problems and Diseases: Epilepsy, Rabies, Distemper, FIP, Paralysis, Tetanus, Seizures, Disc Disease, Toxoplasmosis & others

Nutrition & Diet: General information
Including a surprise; who makes the diet your pet is eating?

Nutrition: Therapeutic Prescription Diets used to Treat Diseases To Include:
Diabetes, Diseases of the Gastro-Intestinal Tract, Heart Disease, Joint Diseases, Skin problems, Weight problems, Urinary Tract problems, and Kidney Disease.

Parasite Problems; Fleas, Ticks, Heartworms, Intestinal Worms, Mosquitos, Lice, Mites, and other welfare recipients

Poisons  Snakes, Insects, household chemicals, plants, and foods that might poison your pet

Reproduction/Sex/Babies
Discussion about problems related to the reproductive tract such as uterine infections, False Pregnancy, lack of milk, Infection of the mammary glands and trouble giving birth.  But also fun stuff like new born care. Aso about undescended testicles.

Respiratory Diseases

Senior Pet Page: Geriatric Medicine

Skeletal-Muscular Problems Arthritis, Fractures, ACL, Ligament Injuries, Disc Disease, Pannus, and many other problems of the bones, muscles, tendons, and ligaments

Skin Problems: allergies, rashes, bacterial infections, and itching. Hair Loss, Yeast Infections, Hormonal Problems

Surgery: Spays, Castrations, Testicle Recipes, Soft Tissue Surgery, Hard Tissue Surgery (Bones), C- Sections, Declawing, Tumor Removal and Cancer Surgery

Wounds, punctures, injuries, and abscesses

Urinary Tract Diseases and Problems

Vaccine and other preventive health recommendations

WildLife Page:  Taking care of baby bunnies, squirrels, and birds.  A very funny story about beavers, and other misc information

Zoonotics: Diseases People get from Pets, Worms & other Parasites People get from Pets.



On Our Other Sites

About  Our No Kill Shelter   

About Our  Veterinary Clinic
1906 Swift & Co  Chicago  Pres Teddy Roosevelt inspecting the plant
Hundreds of American women vets (as well as men and women from many other advanced countries) are now serving in the military service, in mission work, Farm Aid groups, and International Aid Groups helping less developed societies deal with animal care issues.

The woman above is veterinarian Major Amanda Parry of the Royal Australian Army supervising an agricultural student in Pohnpei during a mobile veterinarian civic action project for Pacific Partnership July 7, 2011.

This project included veterinarians from the United States, Australia, and Spain.  All supported by the 7th Fleet of the US NAVY.  Project veterinarians conduct emergency first aid to animals during natural disasters and conduct education, vaccination, deworming and other programs critical to both animal and human health.


















Another picture of POHNPEI, with a veterinarian working with the Project for Pacific Partnership.  This is  Federated States of Micronesia Capt. Juan Mendoza of the Spanish army preparing to give a pig a shot of ivermectin (Photo By Kristopher Radder)



As an aside, the U.S. 7th Fleet is proudly involved in many humanitarian projects in the South Seas and is well trained and equipped to handle natural disasters as well as man made threats.

A great example was the incredible financial, physical, and personnel support given by the Western World in the aftermath of the December 2004 tsunami that devasted much of Indonesia.  This support included the 7th Fleet and a nuclear carrier able to provide enough food, fresh water, electical power, and hospital beds for thousands of homeless victims.

The ships in our fleet are laden with enough equipment and supplies to support 15,000 Marines for one month. They are equipped with water purification machines and evaporators capable of producing more than 100,000 gallons of potable water per day and pumping it to shore from up to two miles away, road-making supplies, electrical power generators and a host of other emergency supplies and equipment.

And The Navy Environmental and Preventive Medicine Unit No. 6 from Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, sent 43 medical professionals (including veterinarians) into the area to administer a range of medical assistance, including disease assessment and treatment, water-quality and food-quality testing, mosquito and insect assessment, and chemical analysis.





I'll stop writing for now but veterinarians are proudly involved in military, government,  university, non profit, missionary, agricultural, 3rd world, and food safety programs all over the world. Many of these veterinarians are women.
Website Directory

Home    The Human-Animal Bond     The History of Veterinary Medicine    About our No Kill Shelter     The FoxNest Veterinary Hospital     


"What To Expect When You Go To The Vet"
if your pet should have a problem with ...

Abscesses, wounds, and injuries

Arthritis, Lameness, Fractures, and Ligament Injuries
To include Femoral Head Removal, Hip Dysplasia, Anterior Cruciate Ligament Injuries, Panosteitis, Radiographic Demonstrations, Disc Disease, and Bone Surgery

Bladder, Urinary Tract, & Kidney Problems

Blood Diseases, Anemias etc
Strokes, Vascular Diseases, Anemias, DVT, DIC, Blood Parasites, Rat Poison, & Bleeding disorders

Cancer, Masses, Lumps and Bumps

Cardiology  Heart disease in Cats, Cardiac Hypertrophy, Valvular disease, Cardiac Insufficiency, Congestive Heart Failure, Heartworm Disease, and a little history about the milestones in treating heart disease

Cats: general information page and directory of diseases and problems specific to cats including vaccine recommendations, leukemia, feline viral infections, feline upper respiratory disease and cats that just aren't feeling well.

Dentistry and problems of the mouth and throat

Dermatology: Skin problems including allergies, rashes, bacterial infections, and itching. Hair Loss, Yeast Infections, Hormonal Problems

Diabetes

Ear Infections and Other Ear Problems

Eye Problems  and Ophthalmic Diseases

Exotics:  Pocket Pets, Rabbits, Hamsters etc

Fleas, Ticks, and other parasite problems

Heart disease; Cardiac diseases, vascular diseases, stroke, & heartworms

Hormone Diseases: Diabetes, Thyroid Disease, Cushing's Disease or Hypercortisolism, Addison's disease or Hypocortisolism, Pancreatitis, obesity as a disease

Infectious Diseases  Colds, Distemper, Parvo, Leptospirosis, Bruceellosis, Panleukopenia, Feline AIDS, Leukemia, Hepatitis, Kennel Cough, Ringworm, Rabies, FIP, Canine Herpes, Toxic Shock Syndrome, & More

Intestinal problems: diarrhea, constipation, torsion, indigestion, and gas. Also pancreatitis, vomiting, esophagitis, colitis, parvo and other types of dysentery

Kidney Disease

Liver Diseases     

Metabolic Diseases: Diabetes, Thyroid Disease, Cushing's Disease or Hypercortisolism, Addison's disease or Hypocortisolism, Pancreatitis, obesity as a disease

Neural Problems and Diseases: Epilepsy, Rabies, Distemper, FIP, Paralysis, Tetanus, Seizures, Disc Disease, Toxoplasmosis & others

Obesity; new information and about Pfizer's new FDA approved treatment

Pancreatitis

Parasite Problems Fleas, Ticks, Heartworms, Intestinal Worms, Mosquitos, Lice, Mites, and other welfare recipients

Poisons  Snakes, Insects, household chemicals, plants, and foods that might poison your pet

Respiratory Diseases

Senior Pet Page: Geriatric Medicine

Skeletal-Muscular Problems Arthritis, Fractures, ACL, Ligament Injuries, Disc Disease, Pannus, and many other problems of the bones, muscles, tendons, and ligaments

Skin Problems: allergies, rashes, bacterial infections, and itching. Hair Loss, Yeast Infections, Hormonal Problems

Surgery: Spays, Castrations, Testicle Recipes, Soft Tissue Surgery, Hard Tissue Surgery (Bones), C- Sections, Declawing, Tumor Removal and Cancer Surgery

Wounds, punctures, injuries, and abscesses

Urinary Tract Diseases and Problems


Other Topics on This Site

The Human-Animal Bond

History of Veterinary Medicine; lots of interesting stuff    

Zoonotics: Diseases, worms, and parasites people get from pets.

Lab Tests and what they tell us

Medications/Pharmacy Page

Nutrition & Diets
Includes information about Prescription diets used to treat disease, and a discussion about the pet food industry

Reproduction, breeding, & rearing information
Includes information about feline and canine heat or estrus, breeding, C-Sections, pyometra or Infected Uterus, dystocia, no milk, mastitis, & brucellosis
Also newborn care, undescended testicles, and alternative to spaying and castration

Vaccine and other preventive health recommendations

WildLife Page:  Taking care of baby bunnies, squirrels, and birds.  A very funny story about beavers, and other misc information

Our Dog Page:  a directory of problems of concern in dogs including parvovirus, distemper, canine herpes, and other diseases

Veterinary Pet Insurance