Gentle Doctor

Doctor holding an injured or ill puppy, with mother dog sitting at the veterinarian’s feet and leaning against his knee.

Doctor holding an injured or ill puppy, with mother dog sitting at the veterinarian’s feet and leaning against his knee.

Doctor holding an injured or ill puppy, with mother dog sitting at the veterinarian’s feet and leaning against his knee.

Doctor holding an injured or ill puppy, with mother dog sitting at the veterinarian’s feet and leaning against his knee. The sculpture is widely accepted as the international symbol of veterinary medicine.

Recto (a): Top study is a horse, a cow, and a pig being restrained; bottom study is final concept for "Gentle Doctor". Verso (b): panel concepts of animals being treated by veterinarians.

Veterinary Medicine Mural and siting of mural in Veterinary Quadrangle with Gentle Doctor.

Very faint sketch of the Veterinary Quadrangle.

Final design for the figure of "The Gentle Doctor".

Study for the figure "The Gentle Doctor". Doctor in profile holding puppy.

Five studies for "The Gentle Doctor".

Three-quarter view of the final design of "The Gentle Doctor".

Profile of mother dog.

Cast reproduction of the original. Cast by Paul Shao.

From 1960 until 1980, the Iowa State Veterinary College sold 18-inch plaster castings of "The Gentle Doctor" as a fundraiser for the Christian Petersen Scholarship Fund, with royalties to Charlotte Petersen for every piece purchased. Her husband had created the piece for his…