The AVMA: 150 Years of Education, Science and Service (Volume 2)

By AVMA

This book is a celebration of the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) and all it has accomplished for its members and the veterinary profession during its first 150 years. There are four volumes to this epublication, and this second volume contains Chapter 2. A hardcover printed version of the book is available through the AVMA online store.

• Language: English
• Publisher: AVMA
• Release date: Mar 27, 2013
• ISBN: 9781882691258

AVMA

Serving more than 100,000 member veterinarians, the AVMA is the nation's leading representative of the veterinary profession, dedicated to improving the health and wellbeing of animals, people, and the environment. Founded in 1863, the AVMA is one of the world's largest veterinary medical organizations, with members in every U.S. state and territory and more than 60 countries. Informed by our members' unique scientific training and clinical knowledge, the AVMA supports the crucial work of veterinarians and advocates for policies that advance the practice of veterinary medicine and improve animal and human health.

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THE AVMA:

150 YEARS of EDUCATION, SCIENCE, and SERVICE

Chapter 2

by

American Veterinary Medical Association

Smashwords Edition

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American Veterinary Medical Association

1931 N. Meacham Road

Schaumburg, IL 60173

The AVMA: 150 Years of Education, Science, and Service

Chapter 2

Copyright 2012 by American Veterinary Medical Association

ISBN 978-1-882691-25-8

All rights reserved. Without limiting the rights under copyright reserved above, no part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in or introduced into a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form, or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise) without the prior written permission of both the copyright owner and the American Veterinary Medical Association.

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CONTENTS

Chapter 2:

A CALL TO SERVICE: Governance

Chapter 2

A CALL TO SERVICE

Kurt Matushek

In 2012, the American Veterinary Medical Association boasted more than 84,000 members, including more than 80 percent of all veterinarians in the United States. Quite a change from the small group of men who came together in 1863 to form the United States Veterinary Medical Association, now the AVMA. Although many factors have contributed to the remarkable growth of the past 150 years, unquestionably one of the most important has been the dedication of the thousands of members who have volunteered their time in service to the Association. Understanding how the governance of the AVMA has changed over the years helps us not only learn about the history of the Association but also prepare for the future.

Charter Members of the United States Veterinary Medical Association

Taken from The American Veterinary Profession, by J.F. Smithcors

NEW YORK

W.H. Banister

C.H. Birney

Louis Brandt

John F. Budd

Charles Burden

John Busteed

A.S. Copeman

R.H. Curtis

A. Large

A. Liautard

W.T. McCoun

James Mulligan

E. Nostrand

MASSACHUSETTS

R. Farley

O.H. Flagg

James Penniman

W. Saunders

J.H. Stickney

E.F. Thayer

C.M. Wood

Robert Wood

PENNSYLVANIA

J.C. Essenwein

R. McClure

G. Mellor

I. Michener

E.H. Palmer

NEW JERSEY

A.C. Budd

T. Cooper

Jacob Dilts

J.C. Higgins

S. Humphrey

R. Jennings

W.R. Mankin

A. Philips

Jacob Philips

J.F. Walton

MAINE

E.F. Ripley

OHIO

G.W. Bowler

DELAWARE

W.A. Wisdom

THE FIRST CONSTITUTION

The broad outlines of the events that led up to the formation of the USVMA are generally well-known. In March of 1863, Robert Jennings proposed during a meeting of the American Veterinary Association in Philadelphia that a convention of veterinary surgeons be called for the purposes of forming a national veterinary association. Although the idea of a national association had been around for several years, this time it elicited a more favorable response. Concerns were expressed, however, both that the qualifications for membership not be so rigid as to exclude all self-educated practitioners, leaving the proposed association to be dominated by graduates of the European colleges of veterinary medicine, and that the qualifications not be so loose as to allow for the admission of quacks.

In April of 1863, the AVA again met to consider the proposal, passed a resolution that the meeting be held in June of that year, and appointed a local organizing committee. Notices of the meeting were published in The New York Times on June 7 and 8 that read To Veterinary Surgeons. There will be a meeting of veterinary surgeons at the Astor House on the 9th of June, at 2 o’clock P.M. All interested in the advancement of veterinary science are invited to attend. The men met as scheduled at the Astor Hotel in New York City on June 9 and 10, 1863.

During the first day’s meeting, a committee headed by Josiah Stickney was selected to draft a constitution and bylaws. The document was read during the next day’s meeting and adopted, and new officers were elected. Josiah Stickney, a London graduate, was elected president; Alexandre Liautard, a graduate of Toulouse, was elected recording secretary; and A.S. Copeman, a self-educated practitioner, was elected treasurer.

According to notes from Robert Jennings from the organizational meeting, there was considerable discussion regarding the name of the new association, but no information is available on the details of those discussions. Most likely, United States was chosen, instead of American because an American Veterinary Association had been established in Philadelphia some years before. J.F. Smithcors, in his 1963 history The American Veterinary Profession, points out, however, that the initial meeting was held during the Civil War and that this may have played a role in the naming of the association, in that American would have included the Confederate States of America. Smithcors cautions that this is only conjecture. Isaiah Michener of Pennsylvania later claimed the he was the one who suggested the name that was finally chosen.

According to Smithcors, the charter members of the USVMA consisted of 39 men from seven states. From various notes, it is apparent that others were present at the organizational meeting. It is not clear why they were not included as charter members. In accordance with the new constitution and bylaws, a vice president was elected from each of the seven states represented among the charter members; the individuals selected were R.H. Curtis, W. Saunders, R. McClure, Robert Jennings, E.F. Ripley, G.W. Bowler, and W.A. Wisdom. In addition, W.T. McCoun, Robert Wood, Isaiah Michener, and J.F. Walton were selected as corresponding secretaries, and A. Large, E.F. Thayer, J.C. Essenwein, E.H. Palmer, Jacob Dilts, and C.M. Wood were elected as censors.

Two aspects of the original USVMA Constitution and Bylaws stand out. The first is that the members of the Comitia Minora were charged with examining applicants to determine whether they were qualified, before allowing them to become members of the Association. During the 1864 meeting, for example, P.J. Curran Penny and T.B. Raynor presented their credentials and were examined by the Board of Censors. Penny passed his examinations in anatomy (presented by A. Large), physiology (presented by E.F. Thayer), and the theory and practice of medicine (presented by C.M. Wood) and was accepted as a member, but Raynor apparently refused to answer any questions, claiming that he had a right to be a member because of his work in helping to organize the Association, and