The professionalization of One Health through an analysis of Burkholderia mallei

Abstract

One Health is the union of animal, human, and environmental health with the understanding that all three are interdependent. Many diseases have impacted the history of One Health. Glanders, caused by Burkholderia mallei, played an especially prominent role in the professionalization of the three domains of One Health. Inductively examining primary sources from veterinary medicine, human medicine, and environmental health, nine notable people and nine significant moments stand out as evidence of glanders propelling the development of One Health. These individuals include scientists and veterinarians like Erik Viborg, who identified the connection between farcy and glanders; John Gamgee, who argued that glandered horses must be culled to prevent further infection from spreading in a stable; and Friedrich Loeffler, who helped to establish laboratory protocols for B. mallei. Significant moments include, but are not limited to, the adoption in Great Britain of The Veterinary Surgeons Act of 1881, which distinguished between qualified and unqualified practitioners; 1837, the year that the Academy of Medicine in France debated the veracity of glanders’ transmission from animals to humans; and 1906, when a Special Report on Glanders reiterated Canada’s Regulations Relating to Glanders which specified the roles of veterinary inspectors. Three components of professionalization were analyzed during the time span of 1761-1918: the development of professional identity and legitimization among like professionals and government entities, the evolution of recognized professional organizations with qualifying standards, and the creation of specialized training and formal education. A number of lessons emerge from this historical analysis of glanders and One Health professions. Diagnostic tools not only function as clinical instruments but as technologies that can legitimize a profession; therefore, investment in One Health diagnostic tools should be understood as an investment in the credibility and recognition of professions who use it, not just a laboratory advancement. Modern One Health frameworks should be expected to be unevenly adopted across countries, institutions, and professions. Finally, modern One Health leaders should prioritize the recognition and affirmation of environmental health specialists and others working in environmental health.