Barbara Natterson Horowitz: ¿Qué saben los veterinarios que los médicos no saben?

Summary

A cardiologist reflects on a transformative experience where he worked alongside veterinarians at the Los Angeles Zoo, diagnosing and treating animal patients. Through this collaboration, he discovered the surprising overlap between human and animal diseases, such as heart failure, cancer, and psychiatric conditions. The talk emphasizes the need for a species-spanning approach to health, encouraging physicians to embrace veterinary knowledge to improve human care. The speaker advocates for breaking down the divide between human and animal medicine, as veterinarians often possess valuable insights that can enhance human healthcare.

Takeaways

• 😀 Ten years ago, a cardiologist at UCLA received a call from a veterinarian at the Los Angeles Zoo about a chimpanzee with a facial droop, leading to a life-changing experience.
• 😀 The collaboration between human physicians and veterinarians at the zoo allowed for a deeper understanding of animal health, including heart problems, strokes, and other conditions.
• 😀 The speaker realized that human and animal medical conditions share significant overlap, including heart failure, cancer, and psychiatric disorders like depression and anxiety.
• 😀 Despite a background in comparative physiology, the speaker was surprised to learn that veterinary knowledge had long addressed similar medical issues seen in humans.
• 😀 A major barrier in collaboration between human doctors and veterinarians comes from a psychological distance, where physicians often overlook the value of veterinary insights.
• 😀 Physicians, despite accepting the biological connection between humans and animals, often harbor a sense of human exceptionalism, which affects their approach to medicine.
• 😀 The speaker now regularly consults veterinary knowledge and applies it to human medical cases, asking how veterinarians might treat similar conditions in animals.
• 😀 Emotional heart failure, recognized in humans in the early 2000s, had been previously diagnosed and treated in animals by veterinarians, such as cases triggered by fear or emotional trauma.
• 😀 Veterinary knowledge on self-injury in animals, such as birds plucking feathers or stallions biting themselves, offers valuable treatment methods that could help humans struggling with similar issues.
• 😀 Insights from veterinarians have also influenced the understanding of postpartum depression and psychosis in humans, with equine veterinarians' treatment of rejection syndrome in mares offering potential solutions for human mothers.
• 😀 Despite the potential for inter-field collaboration, there is a significant divide between physicians and veterinarians, driven by professional snobbery and a lack of understanding of each other's expertise.
• 😀 Programs like Darwin on rounds and Zubik Witte conferences aim to close the gap between human medicine and veterinary medicine by fostering collaboration and shared learning in treating shared diseases and disorders.

Q & A

What significant event changed the speaker's life ten years ago?

The speaker received a phone call from a veterinarian at the Los Angeles Zoo, requesting help in diagnosing an elderly female chimpanzee who had a facial droop, suspected to be caused by a stroke. This event marked the beginning of the speaker's involvement in veterinary medicine.

What was the speaker's professional role at the time of the phone call?

At the time of the phone call, the speaker was a cardiologist specializing in cardiac imaging techniques at UCLA.

How did the speaker contribute to the zoo's medical cases?

The speaker assisted with diagnosing and treating various animal patients, including ruling out a stroke in the chimpanzee, evaluating a gorilla for a torn aorta, assessing a macaw for a heart murmur, and treating a lion by draining fluid from its pericardial sac.

What did the speaker learn from working with both human and animal patients?

The speaker realized that physicians and veterinarians treat similar health conditions, such as heart failure, brain tumors, diabetes, and psychiatric disorders. This prompted the speaker to explore the shared knowledge between the two fields.

Why did the speaker find the overlap between human and animal medicine surprising?

Despite having a background in comparative physiology, the speaker had never fully considered consulting veterinarians for insights into human health. This was partly due to a psychological distance between human and animal medicine, as well as a tendency to view humans as a unique and separate species.

How does the speaker address the concept of 'human exceptionalism'?

The speaker acknowledges that, while humans intellectually recognize themselves as one species among many, there is a deep-seated cultural belief in human exceptionalism, which contributes to the separation between human and animal health care.

What is one example of a shared medical condition between humans and animals discussed in the script?

One example is emotionally induced heart failure. Human cardiologists discovered this condition around 2000, but veterinarians had already been diagnosing and treating similar symptoms in animals, such as monkeys, flamingos, and deer, since the 1970s.

How has the veterinary field influenced the treatment of self-injury in humans?

Veterinarians have developed effective methods for treating self-injury in animals, such as birds that pluck their feathers and horses that bite themselves. The speaker suggests that this veterinary knowledge could benefit psychotherapists, parents, and patients struggling with self-injury.

What is 'full rejection syndrome' in mares, and how does it relate to human postpartum depression?

Full rejection syndrome occurs in mares when they neglect their foals after birth, sometimes even harming them. Veterinarians address this by increasing oxytocin levels in the mare. The speaker draws a parallel to human postpartum depression and suggests that this veterinary knowledge could help OBGYNs and family doctors treat affected women.

Why do some physicians hold negative views towards veterinarians, and what is the speaker's perspective on this issue?

Some physicians view veterinarians condescendingly, believing they are not as specialized as human doctors. The speaker acknowledges that it's harder to get into vet school than medical school and that veterinarians must study a wide range of species, making their expertise broader than human doctors'.

What is the purpose of programs like 'Darwin on Rounds' and 'Zubik Witte' conferences?

Programs like 'Darwin on Rounds' and 'Zubik Witte' conferences aim to bridge the gap between human and veterinary medicine by fostering collaborative learning and discussions. These programs bring together animal experts and physicians to share knowledge and improve the treatment of shared diseases and disorders in both animals and humans.

What overarching message does the speaker convey about the relationship between human and animal medicine?

The speaker emphasizes the importance of embracing a species-spanning approach to health, recognizing that understanding how animals live, grow, get sick, and heal can provide valuable insights for treating human patients. The speaker calls for greater collaboration between physicians and veterinarians to improve overall healthcare.