Zoobiquity

[Serenity]

Anyone read this one yet?  I heard about it for the 3rd time so went and got it from the library today.  Just 10 pages in.  

The premise of this non-fiction book is that for a long time doctors treated animals and people.  Then it diverged. MDs discriminate within their ranks and treat non-MDs (podiatrists, DO's, etc.) like the children of a lesser god. They treat veterinarians even worse although the knowledge base for vets is far more vast than for MDs.  The author is a psychiatrist and cardiologist who is on the board for a major zoo.  By accident she found out that a heart problem in humans occurs in animals and that vets have known about it for years before doctors did.  She starts doing cross-species comparisons and points out that vets know more about most medical problems afflicting humans than the doctors do. (I got some of this from an NPR program).  In 10 pages the book is already breath taking.  

[Ursula]

A link to the NPR show just popped up on Facebook; I think you could call that synchronicity!!  Here's the link: http://www.npr.org/2013/04/22/177452982/zoobiquity-what-humans-can-....

I agree it does sound interesting!!

[Serenity]

I wanted to be a vet.  Realized it was way over my science skill set.  Amazed at what they know.  Always have been.  At the moment I am dovetailing with the Temple Grandin book, Animals Make Us Human.  Together, it these two are an astounding read.  :)

[rapa]

I posted the site for this book on my FB page.  Wish I could afford a vet but unfortunately Medicare doesn't cover it!!!! ;)

[Ursula]

Our family vet for many years was the nicest man and I always asked him to let me know when he started taking human patients as I would be first in line.  He seemed to just know what needed to be done and how to handle his patients and their owners.  He's retired now and this nice young man bought his practice, but it's just not the same.

Looking forward to reading this book.

[Serenity]

Most vets are really salt of the earth people.  I had a cousin who was a large animal vet who was the best person.  She died tragically and I named my daughter after her.  My daughter gets along better with animals than people - then again, I often get along better with animals than humans.  Animals are not capable of duplicity.  :) 

[officerripley]

I'm looking forward to reading the book too; thanks for the heads-up, Serenity; I can't wait to read it.

[Serenity]

This is turning out to be a GREAT book!  Turns out that vets have known about some health problems humans have for a decade before MDs figured out what the problem was.  Discusses cancer in dinosaurs and how the DNA replication process works (which I already knew, but it is still good) and also how toxins in the environment as well as viruses can trigger the DNA errors resulting in cancer.  Amazing stuff.  Especially the part about how dairy cattle virtually never have breast cancer since lactation seems to prevent it and how that could be applicable to humans.  

As I mentioned, I've been dovetailing with the Grandin book Animals Make Us Human and I find these two really go together well - we get behavioral and emotional stuff from Grandin - dogs, cats, horses, cattle.  She relates animal emotions and stresses and "seeking" behaviors as well as "stereotypies" to animals and humans, especially Autistic and Aspergers' folks.