Purdue University Veterinary Medical
VOLUME 14, NUMBER 1
JULY 1988
259 Years of Accomplishment
Eight SVM Pioneers Enter Emeritus Status
Americans are history buffs at heart. In
the early years as we learned about the
founding of the Virginia and New England
colonies, of Paul Revere, and Washington,
the founding of the Republic, and the excitement of the western frontier, most of us,
perhaps unconsciously, wondered if there
was some small place in history for each of
us. For many, that opportunity has come
from the magnificent system of higher
education which distinguishes the United
States from all other nations. It was that
interest in reaching the highest level of
academic achievement which character-
Beginning in 1940 the Department of
Veterinary Science recognized the need for
advanced training in pathology, microbiology, and physiology beyond the degree of
Doctor of Veterinary Medicine. Purdue
had a rich tradition in animal disease research and, in cooperation with the University Graduate School, established programs leading to the Doctor of Philosophy
degree in those disciplines. It was not
expected that veterinary graduates would
be attracted from leading schools, Cornell,
Ohio State, Michigan State, and Kansas.
That any of the group expected to pioneer in
the establishment of a new School of Veterinary Science and Medicine is unlikely.
Exploring the complexities of microorganisms and domestic animals was their goal.
-the Indiana Veterinary College from
1893-1924 and the Terre Haute Veterinary
College from 1909-1918.
The Purdue veterinary group was small,
bright, and above all, dedicated and familylike. In the early 1940's concern had begun
to be expressed about the growing shortage
of Indiana veterinarians and especially the
difficulties of highly qualified Indiana resi-
And so it came to be by an act of the
legislators in 1957. Dr. Hutchings, who
had come to Purdue to obtain his PhD in
1942, was the unanimous choice for dean,
Armstrong
Gustafson
izes those whom we honor as they enter the
emeritus status.
It is unlikely that they expected to be
pioneers in the establishment of a new
School of Veterinary Medicine when five
of them enrolled for graduate study at Purdue in the late 1940's and early fifties.
Drawings by David Williams
Neher
Baker
Carter
Claflin
As to schools of veterinary medicine, it was
well known that two earlier private Indiana
schools had been closed for lack of support-
Jones
Goetsch
dents to gain admission to veterinary
schools in other states. It was not unusual
for late afternoon coffee table discussions
to include talk of the movement in the
Indiana General Assembly to establish a
school atPurdue. Purdue's young President
Hovde, stimulated by the thinking of Department Head C.R. Donham and the rising
research star, L.M. Hutchings, said "we are
going to go for it, it is not intended to have
the largest vet school in the country, only
the best."
and immediately set about organizing a
faculty and planning the physical facilities
for the school. Claflin, Gustafson,
Goetsch, JonesandNeher were all superbly
trained Purdue PhD's and were logical selections for important faculty positions.
Armstrong (OSU), Baker (COR) and Carter (MSU) were early additions to the faculty.
That the confidence in them was well-
placed is a matter of record. They have
made their place in Purdue history as pioneers, and it is with pride and satisfaction
that we make public recognition of their
individual   and  collective   accomplish-
Dr. Frederick N. Andrews
Dean Emeritus of the Graduate School
For biographical profiles, see page 2
Toward A More Humane Future
A Computer Graphic Alternative to the Use of Animals in Education
The use of animals in teaching and research has become headline news with
increasing frequency. Public awareness
has been heightened by a few dramatic
examples of inhumane treatment of experimental animals. We, as veterinarians,
should be leaders in the humane treatment
of animals and also the reduction in the use
of teaching and research animals wherever
possible. The Purdue School of Veterinary
Medicine has been active in just such an
activity using computer technology. We
think the numbers of animals used in teaching can be reduced, while improving student learning.
Imagine the following. The scene is a
small animal hospital; Malcolm Smith,
DVM (PUR'95), is on duty. The year is
2001.
Dr. Smith has just examined and admitted a 9-month old male greyhound with a
compound fracture of the humerus. Following a physical examination a dressing is
applied, and fluids with antibiotics are
started. Radiographs are taken and the limb
immobilized with a soft cast Surgery will
be performed in about one hour. Dr. Smith
heads for_^case simulator to run through
rij^c
the surgery at hand.
The information from the physical examination, digitized image of the dog, and
digitized radiographs are already in the
computer. A holographic image of the
animal appears before Dr. Smith. Using
voice commands, the dog's forelimb is
positioned for surgery. Dr. Smith uses an
electronic scapel to begin an open reduction and then proceeds through the entire
surgery. Everything looks much as it will in
the case. Hemorrhage must be controlled,
and the image is moved in any desired way.
Whenever Dr. Smith uses the new simulation system, he is reminded of the system
available during his student days: the two-
dimensional images on a flat T.V. screen
that simulated only cases previously recorded was limiting and responded very
slowly, although it did prepare him for
surgery on a living animal. That system
was fast enough for a beginning student but
too slow for use in a busy practice.
End of scene.
A group of Purdue faculty from the
schools of Veterinary Medicine and Electrical Engineering is working toward just
such a system as described above. We an
i^U->c
designing images and lessons to be used in
learning stations that will simulate the animals used in teaching and thereby reduce
the number of live animals used. The
computer will also store and retrieve the
volumes of information presented to the
students throughout their training. The
ability to rapidly access information when
needed should actually improve learning.
A long-term goal is to provide the veterinary practitioner with a system that allows
the opportunity to stay current and thereby
practice the best possible medicine.
With initial support from the Geraldinc
Rockefeller Dodge Foundation during
1987-88, the concept of bringing together
all the disciplines to provide images and
data that can be used as case simulations
was started. We were able to prove the
basic concepts during 1987-88. The support has been renewed for 1988-89, and our
goal is a prototype system this year.
Our first objective is to produce a video
disc that will serve as a source of images of
parts of the nervous system that can be
accompanied by software programming at
various levels. The beginning student will
able to learn the basic structures, be
drilled by the computer, take quizzes, and
simulate recorded cases. The more advanced student will be able to review at a
level appropriate to his understanding of
the subject matter. The most advanced user
could interact with the images in a way that
will be appropriate to the case at hand.
The SVM faculty involved are Gordon
Coppoc, Fred Roesel (Veterinary Physiology and Pharmacology); Al Allen and
David Hansen (Medical Illustration); William Blevins and James Cook (Veterinary
Clinical Sciences); and Edward Hinsman
and John Stump (Veterinary Anatomy).
O.K. Ersoy (Electrical Engineering) is
working on digital holograms and data
compression to make holograms more feasible for personal computers. Professional
and technical staff involved are: Andrew
Dziubinskyj, James Morrison, Sam Royer
and Curtis Sherwin of Medical Illustration
and Communications (Veterinary Administration) and Bernadette Traeger (Veterinary Anatomy).
We will keep our alumni and friends
informed of our progress.
Dr.
J
rd Hinsman