Historical timeline charts profession's evolution

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A one-stop, easily digestible dose of U.S. veterinary history can now be found online.

The AVMA has created an interactive timeline to mark the Association’s 150th anniversary in 2013.

Dozens of milestones from the AVMA and the U.S. veterinary profession are laid out and paired with notable events in history to give greater context. The timeline starts with the year 1863. That’s when the United States Veterinary Medical Association, the predecessor to the AVMA, was established. It was the same year President Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation.

Other noteworthy veterinary-related moments noted on the timeline include the United States’ first foot-and-mouth disease outbreak in 1902 and the point in 1985 when a majority of AVMA members (51 percent) first reported working primarily in small animal practice.

The timeline is available at atwork.avma.org/timeline.