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.
Published onDec 15, 2023
196. The Gentle Doctor
In the Christian Petersen Art Collection, University Museums, Iowa State University, Ames, Iowa.
Date
1937 - 38
Material
Terra Cotta
Dimensions
80 x 24 1/2 x 23 in. (203.2 x 62.2 x 58.4 cm)
Description
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.
Markings
n/a
Provenance / Location
Commissioned by Iowa State College, College of Veterinary Medicine; CPAC/AOC, U84.179
Alternate Title(s)
n/a
Notes / Sources
Ames Daily Tribune, Jan. 1, 1938; Milepost (Ames, IA), Feb. 3, 1938; "He Has Carved a Heritage", The Iowan, Vol. 2 No. 3, Feb. - March 1954; The Iowa Veterinarian, vol. 24 no. 1, 1962; Omaha World-Herald (Omaha, Nebraska), July 7, 1968; Ames Daily Tribune, Aug. 7, 1975.
The Gentle Doctor sculpture is the symbol of the College of Veterinary Medicine at Iowa State as well as the veterinary profession throughout much of the world. Petersen wished to add a central figure to the mural which would present a gentler, more compassionate image of veterinarians, to contrast with the purposeful and clinical struggle of the scientists depicted in the mural. Petersen also wanted to humanize the profession. His solution was to present a veterinarian coming to the aid of an ailing family pet. This is the original sculpture which stood for 40 years in the old Veterinary Medicine Quadrangle on central campus, now Lagomarcio Hall. It is now situated at the entrance to the Small Animal Clinic, Veterinary Medicine Complex.
The statue was recast in bronze by Paul Shao, a talented architecture professor and sculptor on the faculty of Iowa State University's College of Design through a gift to the College of Veterinary Medicine from Dr. & Mrs. J. E. Salsbury. The bronze cast is now sited at the exterior entrance to the Vet Complex.
Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (CC-BY 4.0)
