Customer Reviews

Valuing Animals: Veterinarians and Their Patients in Modern America (Animals, History, Culture)

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This is a well researched and extremely readable book about animal/human relations in America since the late 1800s, with most of the focus on the twentieth century. There are good chapters on animal experimentation and the "antivivisection" movement, the replacement of horses as motive power on farms and in cities, the "dog heroes" of World War I who became movie and TV stars, and the rise of pet-keeping in America. The title refers to the values that human beings have placed on animals for different purposes--sometimes animals are valued only for what they can produce, and sometimes they're valued as companions or even family members. Jones doesn't write as an advocate, but she does make you think about these issues in new ways. Most historians only write about one species. This more expanded view is refreshing and fascinating.

For everyone who ever said they'd like to have been a veterinarian (and there are lots of us out there who've said that), this book is a must-read. It's a fascinating look at how the veterinary profesion has developed, and how veterinarians (like physicians) balance their financial interest in practicing medicine wtih their commitment to be healers. It's a thoughtful, readable, carefully researched book.