Humans, Other Animals and ‘One Health’ in the Early Twenty-First Century

Cassidy, Angela

Despite the widespread recent citation of VMHH, the book has been out of print for many years, even if it is widely retained in the libraries of veterinary schools. Its increasing citation rate correlates closely with the increasing usage of the term OH in academic journal articles. 42 This suggests that it may have taken on some of the features of a 'citation classic'-a piece written in the past which is widely referenced by contemporary scholars for symbolic or strategic purposes-in this case OH advocacy. 43 Beyond the book, the figure of Schwabe appears to have been co-opted into this process, playing the role of the latest in a long series of visionary 'founding fathers' who each played their part in the foundation of today's OH agenda. This symbolic role obscures the historical specificities of Schwabe's own life and work, which, as shown in Chapter 5, ranged widely across parasitology, epidemiology, anthropology, and human and veterinary medicine. His integrated thinking around health and medicine persisted in his retirement, when he continued his studies on the religious symbolism of cattle in Ancient Egypt, and animal medicine in prehistory. 44 From his writings on veterinary epidemiology through to the cookbook on utilizing unusual sources of animal protein (Unmentionable Cuisine), most of Schwabe's work supported his continually restated argument that veterinary medicine was important for human public health, and that there should be a legitimate space for veterinarians to contribute to that goal. 45 During his lifetime, Schwabe influenced wider thinking on health and medicine, primarily via his immediate, largely veterinary, network of collaborators and students, and in turn their collaborators and students. As exemplified by the contributors to the 2002 Schwabe symposium, over time, members of this network moved into positions of power and influence both within US health policy and across international health. Two years after the symposium, the contributing papers were published in a special issue of the journal Preventative Veterinary Medicine. 46 While we do not have access to the attendee list, the stories presented below suggest that this event may have had a catalysing influence on 42 See Cassidy (2016) p. 221. 43 Weisz and Olszynko-Gryn (2010) . 44 Majok and Schwabe (1996) , Gordon and Schwabe (2004) . 45 Schwabe (1979) . For a full bibliography, see Schwabe (2004) . 46 See all papers in Preventive Veterinary Medicine 62 (2004). the subsequent construction and promotion of the OH agenda in several institutions.