Beholding as in a glass the glory of the lion

The painting “Salvador's Reflection,” which was featured on the cover of the May 15, 2012, issue is, in my opinion, exceptionally clever and hilarious and one of the best pieces that has ever appeared on the JAVMA cover. The painting reminded me of a facial perception disorder in humans referred to as prosopagnosia. The word is derived from the Greek words prosopon (face) and agnosia (not knowing).

Some years ago, I read in a medical journal that a German physician had diagnosed prosopagnosia in an individual who had suffered a gunshot wound that traumatized the occipital lobe of his brain. The patient could not recognize his own face in a mirror and saw his face as that of a dog. Potentially, injuries to the occipital lobe in animals could result in the same abnormality, although it seems certain that veterinarians will never be able to determine whether this condition occurs in animals. If only Salvador could talk, we could find out.

Nicholas H. Booth, dvm, phd

Jacksonville, Fla

Food animal producer pledge should be developed to match pet owner pledge

I particularly like the pet owner's pledge described in a recent letter to the editor.¹ This pledge clearly identifies the expectations that veterinarians and society in general should have of responsible pet owners. Maybe the veterinary profession (on behalf of society) should try to develop an appropriate pledge for responsible food animal producers. It would be an interesting although challenging task, but would also be a proactive approach that would position the members of our profession as leaders. We are too often caught in a reactive mode on these kind of issues.

Hugh Bilson Lewis, bvms, dacvp, dsc

Vancouver, Wash

Distributed teaching methods

It was heartening to read the recent letter to the editor from Dr. Robert Marshak¹ regarding distributed teaching models in veterinary medical education. According to Dr. Marshak, following a visit to the University of Calgary's Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, he was “persuaded that given the necessary resources, academic environment, and leadership, a distributed model can work extremely well.”

The striking success of Calgary's veterinary college reflects the exceptional leadership provided by its present dean, Dr. Alastair Cribb. I was privileged to serve as interim dean of the veterinary faculty at Calgary during part of its first year, prior to Dr. Cribb's appointment, and was fortunate to work with a remarkable group of educators who drafted a curriculum plan that included tracking, distributed community-based clinical education, and ecosystem and public health concentrations, along with a preliminary design for the clinical skills facility. As with most new enterprises, there was no shortage of political challenges from multiple directions. Those early ideas and roughly outlined plans have been changed and greatly improved under Dr. Cribb's guidance.

I also admire Dr. Philip Nelson, dean of the College of Veterinary Medicine at the Western University of Health Sciences, and his predecessor, Dr. Shirley Johnston, for their foresight and courage in advancing the principle of extramural clinical education. They faced tough opposition, yet prevailed, and the Western University College of Veterinary Medicine, which incorporates a distributed clinical teaching model, is now fully accredited,² and other colleges, including Lincoln Memorial University, are following suit.

I have suggested for more than 20 years^3–6 that to address the profession's many challenges and shape the future of veterinary medical education, the traditional veterinary curriculum—which has certainly served the profession well in the past—may not be the only way forward. Indeed, it is inconceivable that any particular model could meet every future professional need. Innovation and adaptation are necessary for continued success. We should always welcome new ideas and keep an open mind about what might work.

Peter Eyre, dvm&s, bsc, bvms, phd

Blacksburg, Va