150th Anniversary of Veterinary Education and the Veterinary Profession in North America: Part 2, 1940–1970

Abstract

This article is the second in a series of four to be published in the Journal of Veterinary Medical Education (JVME). These articles are abridged versions of six lectures that make up an elective course on the history of the veterinary profession in North America offered at Cornell University's College of Veterinary Medicine to students in all four years of the program. The course is built in part on a series of biographies and interviews captured in a collection at http://www.vet.cornell.edu/legacy , and complemented by a growing collection of historical and public policy blogs at http://www.veterinarylegacy.blogsite.com . This article describes the development of the veterinary profession from 1940 to 1970, with particular emphasis on World War II, the Land Grant colleges established in the mid- and late 1940s, women in veterinary medicine (1910–1970), and African-Americans (ca. 1890–1945). Though the article is somewhat Cornell-centric because the lectures were presented to Cornell students at their home institution, many events are representative of the broader American experience.