Pigs, Pets, and Public Health: One Veterinarian’s Journey

A veterinarian is arguably the most broad-based medical practitioner, a ＂One Health＂ provider. Such a practitioner understands the intersections and overlap of animal health, human health, and the shared environment between the two. Pigs, Pets, and Public Health captures the multi-faceted expertise that such work requires and shows us how rural communities prepare individuals well for it.

From his upbringing on a farm in Beaver Township, Ohio, to his service in the Air Force, to his veterinary practice and his eventual role in founding a veterinary school focused on rural animal care, Dr. Ronald Warner’s varied career presents the opportunities that come from a country life. His career as veterinarian, public health officer, epidemiologist, and medical educator bust myths about the inherent capabilities of small-town folk.

As Dr. Tedd Mitchell points out in the foreword to Pigs, Pets, and Public Health, 97 percent of American land can be classified as rural, but under 20 percent of our population live in such spaces. Ronald Warner’s career in veterinary medicine shows the wisdom that comes from a rural upbringing. His childhood on the farm brought him lessons in animal husbandry, anatomy, natural sciences, and food safety. As this way of life continues to diminish in contemporary America, Pigs, Pets, and Public Health spotlights the value of these traditions and the lives built around them.