Horse sense

In 1872 an outbreak of equine influenza crippled the US economy. With 80-99% of horses too sick to work, the transportation of people, materials for construction, food, and garbage essentially ceased. The wheels of government and industry ground to a halt. Firemen were forced to pull their own wagons. Weddings and even funerals had to be postponed. The epidemic was central to the establishment of veterinary medicine as distinct from human medical practice. But it was also a crystal clear illustration of how important horses were to virtually all aspects of 19th century American life.

linkurl:Ann Norton Greene's; __Horses at Work__, which includes a vivid description of the 1872 equine influenza epidemic, is a must-read, not just for horse lovers, but for anyone interested in the scientific and technological advances that helped shape early American history. This book is refreshing in that it does not play on anthropomorphic paradigms or sentimentality to engage the reader in learning that horses were the most important influence in the nineteenth century development of American energy. In linkurl:__Horses at Work__,;http://www.amazon.com/dp/0674031296/?tag=googhydr-20&hvadid=2619363351&ref=pd_sl_730es9agdu_b Greene reveals how horses, as the primary source of power, shaped technological, economic, social, physical, and political landscapes.From the view point of an equine veterinarian, two themes in the book were particularly noteworthy. First was the growing and central role of horses in the energy market that led to the refinement of horse breeding practices and the establishment of several registered horse breeds. As energy consumption increased, so did the demand for horses with desirable phenotypes suited to particular jobs. As in current practice, nineteenth century horse breeders combined customary beliefs with practical knowledge while searching for scientific advances to improve genetic stock in their particular breed. More surprising was that horses were pivotal in the development of the veterinary profession. Horses were the primary patients of most nineteenth century veterinarians mostly because of their economic value, but also because of the emotive value. People turned to veterinarians to improve and maintain their horses' health so that they could continue to work efficiently. Equine veterinarians leveraged the economic aspect of their profession to promote good horse care, which extended beyond clinical care into the humane treatment of working horses. Throughout the book, a precise narrative of the form, function, and physics of horses and the equipment used to harness their power is perfectly woven into the evolution of settlement patterns, the Civil War, and urbanization during the nineteenth century. The complexities of using horses as primary energy and transportation sources are perfectly exemplified by Greene's statement that "the Civil War was a war of horse power." The logistics of caring for the horse-soldiers, and the consequences of sub-optimal or poor care are easily visualized through examples in the book. The importance of the efficient use of horse-energy is a recurring theme throughout the book because of the constant need for improved transportation.

People's desire for improved transportation led to the development and improvement of roadways. This simplified and reduced barriers to the use of bicycles and automobiles which ultimately replaced horses as prime movers. Greene, a lecturer and administrator at the University of Pennsylvania's linkurl:Department of History and Sociology of Science.;http://hss.sas.upenn.edu/mt-static/ clarifies that it was not the locomotive that replaced horses as the primary power source. In fact, the use of locomotive power paradoxically increased the use of horses as prime movers since people and freight still needed transportation to, from, and between train stations. The increased use of horses then led to increased need for the essentials that support horse-powered transportation including more horses, horse feed, water sources, manure removal, farriers, stables, wagons, wagon drivers, hotels for drivers, owners and employees of the hotels, roads, and road builders. There were also significant economic impacts as America's transportation landscape continued to transition away from horsepower in the early 20th century. Fewer horses led to decreased demand for grain and hay from the agricultural sector and loss of employment associated with the generation and processing of agricultural crops. The number of those affected directly or indirectly by the loss of real horsepower was so numerous that it may have contributed to the Great Depression. Despite all the technological changes near the end of the nineteenth century like the invention of the automobile and harnessing electricity, Greene argues that it was ultimately changes in the social views of Americans that led to the replacement of horses as prime movers. Americans came to view horses as dirty and dangerous due to early publicity efforts by the nascent auto industry, and so the horse passed from being the major source of power to a hobby animal.linkurl:__Horses at Work: Harnessing Power in Industrial America__,;http://www.hup.harvard.edu/catalog/GREHAR.html by Ann Norton Greene, Harvard University Press, USA, 2008. 336 pp. ISBN: 978-0-674-03129-6. $29.95.linkurl:__Lisa A. Fortier;http://www.vet.cornell.edu/faculty/Fortier/ is an Equine Orthopaedic Surgeon and Associate Professor at Cornell University, College of Veterinary Medicine in Ithaca, New York. Her clinical practice focuses on surgical repair of musculoskeletal injuries in horses. She also has an active research laboratory where the use of biologics such as stem cells are evaluated for use in regeneration of joint tissues to avoid the onset of arthritis following injury.__
**__Related stories:__***linkurl:A fine time for equines;http://www.the-scientist.com/blog/display/54740/
[13th June 2008]*linkurl:Win, place, or cell;http://www.the-scientist.com/news/display/54215/
[25th January 2008]*linkurl:Biotech horsekeepers;http://www.the-scientist.com/article/display/52958/
[April 2007]

Horse sense

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