The Veterinary Libraries present a new online exhibit titled “Take Care of the Health of Domestic Animals”: Penn Vet Answers the Call to Support Agriculture and Animal Welfare - which can be explored at https://guides.library.upenn.edu/pennvethistoryexhibit/home
This virtual exhibit accompanies a physical exhibit that veterinary library intern Christine Nieman installed at the Atwood Library just days before campus was closed due to the coronavirus pandemic.
This exhibit describes how Penn Vet was born from calls for increased expertise to support agriculture and animal welfare by the Philadelphia Society for Promoting Agriculture (PSPA) and the Philadelphia Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (PSPCA). Inspired by the PSPA's advocacy for a veterinary school in Philadelphia, renowned Penn physician Dr. Benjamin Rush gave a lecture that presaged the concept of One Health and emphasized the integral nature of veterinary and human medicine. His speech titled “On the Duty and Advantages of Studying the Diseases of Domestic Animals” conveyed the importance of extending medical education and care to include the health of animals in order to increase agricultural productivity, improve animal welfare, and facilitate comparative medicine. The exhibit features Rush's 1807 speech, highlights notable alumni and faculty whose careers were devoted to agriculture, and showcases the growth of the school's large animal services.
Though the libraries remain closed and the physical exhibit will be largely inaccessible when limited access is restored, you can tour the exhibit online and learn about how the Vet School's origins and legacy echo the mission of One Health.
Please visit the exhibit LibGuide at https://guides.library.upenn.edu/pennvethistoryexhibit/home!
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