"Sometimes I feel that fighting disease (whether human or animal disease or infectious to both) is like being in a war zone!"
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The Ark's Cargo by William W. Buisch, DVM Trafford Publishing
book review by C.D.
Clearly William Buisch's grandmother's dramatic retelling of Bible stories, emphasizing the love of God and the beauty of all living things that he created, proved a major influence on her grandson's future profession. With Noah's Ark being a particular story favorite, it seemed natural that Buisch would go on to study Veterinary Medicine. Yet, while most animal doctors set up a practice close to home, content with caring for the likes of cats, dogs, or other household pets, Buisch sought far greater challenges. Initiating his career with the USDA, he ultimately traveled the globe as an International Veterinarian, in pursuit of handling animal disease control and eradication.
Whether working as part of an Energy Task Force to eliminate Hog Cholera in North Carolina; investigating the transport of inferior cattle from the US to Korea; helping to eradicate and sterilize the menacing screw fly; or meeting with natives in the jungles of Panama, gaining valuable plant knowledge; Buisch's writing adventures exude his career passion. Beyond a traditional memoir, The Ark's Cargo blends professional scientific components and the personal reflective aspect of the author's life's work. Adding to the design of his storytelling, the book serves as a travelogue of sorts as Buisch vividly describes the landscape, people, and culture of the various places he visited while on assignment. Though portions of this work may seem overloaded with scientific jargon, the author jokingly admonishes the idea that persons in the medical field love to use their own vocabulary in a superior gesture to claim knowledge over what the public knows. Thankfully for readers, Buisch offers simple translations for such terminology.
The author is quick to point out that the programs of eradicating disease work because of the numerous individuals who share a common "passion for improving animal health and the health and welfare of mankind." While these endeavors can be expensive, Buisch emphasizes that disease eradication is a one-time fee, but the cost of disease control can go on indefinitely. It is a point well taken. There is much to be learned about the health of our world, especially from the insightful writings of an individual who has viewed it from the trenches.