Page 39 - Veterinary Toxicology, Basic and Clinical Principles, 3rd Edition

6 SECTION | I General

VetBooks.ir related field of environmental medicine, which has largely became the American Academy of Veterinary and
Some readers of this text will also be interested in the
Comparative Toxicology. A 1964 conference on veterinary
developed with a focus on the influence of the environment
toxicology, organized under the auspices of the New York
environment, including pollutants in air, water and food, on Academy of Science (Gabriel, 1964), helped the field of vet-
human health.on human health. Without question, there is a erinary toxicology gain momentum. The ACVT was instru-
need to integrate veterinary medicine, and specifically, veter- mental in fostering the creation of the ABVT and its
inary toxicology into environmental medicine. recognition by the AVMA as the approved certifying spe-
Environmental Medicine (Ayres et al., 2010a) includes a cialty organization for veterinary toxicology. Dorman et al.
lead chapter that I coauthored providing context for envi- (2017) have prepared a brief commentary on the occasion of
ronmental medicine (Ayres et al., 2010b). That chapter the 50th anniversary of the ABVT. The ACVT initially pro-
reviews important information on causes of death in low posed that it would serve as the certifying body for veterinary
and middle income versus high income populations toxicology and all of the ACVT Fellows would be “grand-
(Lopez et al., 2006) and the role of environmental versus fathered” in as Diplomates. Ultimately, it was decided to cre-
nonenvironmental factors as contributors to the global ate a new entity, the ABVT. Three well-known veterinary
burden of disease (Kung et al., 2008). Recognizing that toxicologists, W. Binns, J.W. Dollahite, and R. Radeleff,
this text edited by Gupta is intended for international were accepted by the AVMA as Charter Members of the
readers, the lead chapter in Ayres et al. (2010b) serves as a ABVT. They prepared the first certifying ABVT examina-
reminder of the wide range of environmental conditions tion,whichwas givenin1967(see www.abvt.org). I was
experienced by people around the world. Veterinarians pleased to be one of five individuals (William Buck, Roger
have an important role to play in promoting human health McClellan, Fred Oehme, Robert Singer and VK Singh) in
around the world in multiple ways such as by facilitating the first class certified, based on examination, as Diplomates
the production and availability of safe food products of of the ABVT, with the first examination given at the 1967
animal origin and aiding in the control of infectious agents AVMA meeting in Dallas, Texas, United States.
and communicating with clients and others about health The SOT, with the world’s largest membership of toxi-
issues. Indeed, over the past decade the “One Health” cologists, was organized in 1961 (see www.sot.org). Many
concept has gained increased momentum. This concept, of the organizers of the SOT were members of the
viewed as the collaborative effort of multiple disciplines American Society for Pharmacology and Experimental
working locally, nationally, and globally to attain optimum Therapeutics (ASPET) who felt toxicologists needed a
health for people, animals, and the environment, is trace- “home” of their own. I recall attending the organizational
able to an initiative of the American Veterinary Medical meeting of the SOT held in 1961 in conjunction with an
Association (AVMA) when Roger Mahr served as presi- ASPET meeting at the University of Rochester and the
dent of that organization (AVMA, 2008). excitement and enthusiasm of the attendees for creating the
In addition to text and reference books, there are SOT. The meeting was chaired by the late Harold Hodge of
numerous journals published in the field of toxicology the University of Rochester whowouldbeelected as the
that regularly contain articles that relate recent findings first president of the SOT. As an aside, it would be a few
in veterinary toxicology. Many clinically oriented years before I felt my credentials were sufficient that I could
Veterinary Medical journals contain articles on veterinary apply for membership in the SOT. The SOT now has a
toxicology. The on-line search capabilities serving the number of specialty sections including the Comparative and
medical sciences, including toxicology and veterinary tox- Veterinary Specialty Section and Toxicologic and
icology, are expanding at an exponential rate. Of special Exploratory Pathology Specialty Section with veterinarians
note are those maintained under the auspices of the US being a majority of the membership of these sections.
National Library of Medicine, MEDLINE and TOXLINE. Veterinarians have played a major role in the SOT from its
founding with many serving in leadership roles. Four veteri-
narians (Perry Gehring, Frederick Oehme, Roger McClellan,
Organizations
and James Popp) have served as president of the SOT.
A number of professional scientific organizations have been The SOT fostered the creation of the ABT, which held
created as the field of toxicology, including veterinary toxi- its first certifying examination in 1980 (see www.abtox.
cology, has matured. The most noteworthy include the org). I was pleased to be one of the first class of indivi-
American College of Veterinary Toxicology (ACVT), duals certified, based on examination, as Diplomates of
American Board of Veterinary Toxicology (ABVT), Society the ABT. The ABT has become the world’s largest entity
of Toxicology (SOT), American Board of Toxicology certifying toxicologists from around the world, including
(ABT), and Academy of Toxicological Sciences (ATS). The many Veterinarians, as Diplomates.
ACVT was one of the earliest scientific societies in the A third certifying entity, the ATS, which accepts
field, having been founded in 1958; I joined it soon after I individuals as Fellows based on a review of credentials,
graduated from Washington State University in 1960. It later was created in 1981 (see www.acadtoxsci.org). Many