We had so much fun chatting with author and veterinarian, Philipp Schott a few years ago, we just had to bring him back to discuss his new book, "Heal the Beasts: A Jaunt Through the Curious History of the Veterinary Arts". This history of veterinary medicine provides an abundance of bizarre, funny, surprising, and heartwarming anecdotes. Heal the Beasts chronicles human efforts to treat animal illnesses from 14,000 BCE to today.

About the book:

How and why did humans begin to treat sick and injured animals? And how did those practices, and the associated attitudes, evolve from prehistory to the present day?

To answer these questions, Dr. Schott shares stories of 22 different animal healers and veterinarians from across eras and continents, examining the always fascinating, often unexpected, and sometimes hilarious veterinary methods employed by these people and their colleagues. But at the heart of the tale lies the evolution of the human-animal bond, which has been more cyclical than linear. In many ways, we are returning to the outlook of our distant ancestors after a centuries-long detour through a more utilitarian approach.

James Herriot will be familiar to many people, but most of the other featured vets will be new. They range from Palakapya, who treated fighting elephants in India almost 3,000 years ago, to Dr. Louis Camuti, who had the first feline house call practice anywhere, tending to the cats of celebrities in mid-20th-century Manhattan. Along the way, we see every kind of person trying to heal every kind of creature, from dogs, cows, horses, and cats to canaries, gorillas, and even dragons.

Whether you have a passion for animals, the history of the medical sciences, or just quirky history, this light-hearted exploration of the empathetic relationship between man and beast will entertain and delight.

About Philipp:

I was born in Germany in 1965. A year later my family emigrated to Canada. I grew up in Saskatoon, regularly returning to Germany to visit. I studied biology the University of Saskatchewan before switching to veterinary medicine. After graduation in 1990 I moved to Winnipeg with my classmate and future wife, Lorraine. Except for a year taken to backpack around the world, I have been in the same Winnipeg small animal practice since 1990.

My writing began with blogging about travel and veterinary medicine, and then my first book, The Accidental Veterinarian, was published by ECW Press in 2019.

Lorraine and I live in a creaky old house on the river with two young adult children, and a young cat. (We had two old cats and an old dog up until very recently, but it's been an exceptionally sad year.) Although the clinic, writing, and my family keep me busy, I love to spend time outdoors in self-propelled activities. I'm a particular fan of long-distance walking, having completed the West Highland Way, Hadrian's Wall, the Laugevegurinn, and the Inca Trail, among others. The pandemic also inspired me to start tackling "virtual walks", with the highlight being a 2863 km trek across Middle Earth from The Shire to Mordor. I learned how sturdy those hobbits really were. 

Registration is required for this virtual event.

Presented in partnership with several MA libraries.