I was searching through NetGalley (still trying to get my ratio to 95%) when I came across "Heal the Beasts" by Philip Schott. And I was immediately intrigued by it for no easily discernible reason. This is a (very abridged) history of veterinary medicine, from ancient times to today. The formatting is simple: the author sets of up a little scene of a character caring for animals. Then gives the true facts behind that person (or the kind of people that person represented) and the reasoning behind their actions. And I loved that formatting.

As someone with a Bachelors in History, I get iffy when people start fictionalizing in historic accounts, because it's so easy for the average person to take it at face value. But the format works wonders here, as the author would cite the specific sources he used to come up with what they were saying or doing. And he admitted when he couldn't be sure if that specific event had taken place. It was more a way to demonstrate veterinary tactics in a narrative, before the dryer information took over.

Although the information wasn't that dry. The author seemed to understand exactly what kind of little facts someone on the outside of the profession would be interested in. Like the fact that the man who first used the term "veterinarian" in a document also provided testimony in a witch trial (fuck that guy.) Or the fact that English vets were called by the type of animal they helped, followed by the word "leech." Like cow-leech or dog-leech. You can tell a non-fiction is good when you suddenly have a pile of trivia you want to unload on someone.

What I particularly enjoyed was the level of compassion the author had for the people caring for animals throughout history. True, some of the treatments were completely absurd. But he pointed out when there was actual scientific basis for the treatment (like how wine has antiseptic properties) and how they were doing the best they could. But also called out when the early vets weren't the best people (again, fuck that guy.)

I was happy that the book featured a much more global approach to animal care. From India to the Indigenous peoples of North America. It focused on how all peoples of all times and cultures had reasons to want to care for animals in their own way. It gave the book a very warm vibe.

The only real downside was the jumping around nature of the narrative. Trying to fit such a giant amount of history and culture in a very short book (the NetGalley copy was 220 pages) made for a lot of jumping around in year and place. It made thing more difficult to follow in a grander narrative sense, though I'm not sure how this could have been smoothed out without narrowing the focus.

All in all, a great nonfiction for animal and weird-history lovers alike!