Gender and veterinary medicine: global historical perspectives

This essay will suggest research methodologies for historians interested in the history of gender and veterinary medicine over the past 200 years. This topic is a very timely one, because we are currently living through a transition in the interactions between gender and veterinary medicine. Traditionally male-dominated, veterinary medicine has recently experienced a world-wide increase in the number of women entering veterinary schools and practicing in all areas of the profession. Understanding this transition requires us to ask historical, cultural, and sociological questions in order to illuminate the roles of gender ideologies and the participation of women in the development of modern veterinary medicine. The following paragraphs outline three specific methodological strategies that historians have used to study the interactions between gender and science and gender and medicine. I will propose ways that we veterinary historians can use these strategies to study gender and veterinary medicine. It is beyond the scope of this paper to summarize the literature on women and veterinary medicine; but it will nonetheless highlight a few studies from nations around the world to illustrate the methodological strategies that I propose. I hope to provide scholars with ideas for future studies in the history of gender and veterinary medicine.