Question

Natterson-Horowitz mentions several programs that she works with to ""close the gap"" between medical doctors and veterinarians. What is another way that these two fields could collaborate?

Answer 1

Answer:

The book of Zoobiquity, by Barbara Natterson-Horowitz and Kathryn Bowers, and which was published in 2012, is a really interesting one, as, written from the perspective of a medical doctor, a cardiologist, it evaluates the importance of also learning about animals, and how closely they are related to human beings, to the point that, human medicine and veterinary medicine should come together more and learn from one another. The book basically shows that medicine could enrich itself even more if it learned that many of the conditions and illnesses that affect human beings are present in animals as well. This means that the two branches: one dealing with people, and one with animals, could come together more often and share knowledge and information.

The authors mention several instances in which it is proven that animals and human beings suffer from similar conditions and the solutions to them, at least in humans, could come from learning from animals. As such, Natterson-Holowitz and Bowers mention those programs on which both veterinary medicine and human medicine could collaborate and learn from one another.

Another way, different from those mentioned in the book, that both medicines could help each other would be in the studying of socializing patterns, which can also be similar in humans and animals. By learning from animals how these patterns occur, how they handle socialization and certain issues of this process, might help medical doctors understand certain patterns in human beings that are very similar to those of animals.