Virtual: “Heal the Beasts – A Jaunt through the Curious History of the Veterinary Arts” with Author and Veterinarian Philipp Schott

Author and veterinarian, Philipp Schott, DVM will be on hand 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.

This virtual program will be held in collaboration with the Ashland Public Library.

Please register here for the Zoom link.

About the book Heal the Beasts

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.  At the heart of the book 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, Dr. Schott introduces 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 medicine, or just quirky history, this light-hearted exploration of the empathetic relationship between man and beast will entertain and delight.

About the Author

Philipp Schott, DVM was born in Germany in 1965.  A year later his family emigrated to Saskatoon, Canada, where he grew up, with regular family visits to Germany. Philipp studied biology and veterinary medicine at the University of Saskatchewan. After graduation in 1990 he moved to Winnipeg with his classmate and future wife, Lorraine. Except for a year taken to backpack around the world, he has been in the same Winnipeg small animal practice since 1990.

Philipp’s writing began with blogging about travel and veterinary medicine. His first book, The Accidental Veterinarian, was published by ECW Press in 2019.

Lorraine and Philipp live in a creaky old house on the river with two young adult children and a young cat.  Philipp enjoys spending time outdoors in self-propelled activities, particularly long-distance walking. He has completed the West Highland Way, Hadrian’s Wall, the Laugevegurinn, and the Inca Trail, among others. 

If you’d like to purchase a signed copy of Philipp’s book, you can do so through Aesop’s Fable.  In the “notes” section of checkout, write that you would like the book signed.

NOTE: This program will be recorded and a video link will be sent to all registrants.