We all know that before being used on humans, drugs and several medical devices are first tested on animals. We also know, more or less intuitively, that the scientific knowledge which has lead to a better understanding of health and illness, thereby improving our ability to diagnose diseases and provide treatments, is largely based on observations and experiments that have been performed on animals over the centuries (Schlich et al, 2009).
A growing body of research documents the positive effects pets can have on population health. What kind of evidence supports these positive effects? How do we reconcile positive and negative effects of pet ownership on people’s health? What is the rational behind integrating animal health with human health services? In this interview, Melanie Rock, associate professor in the Department of Community Health Sciences at the University of Calgary, explains the relevance of this rather new field of inquiry in public health research.
Une personne chère souffre de paralysie cérébrale, de retard de développement, d’autisme, de trisomie 21 ou encore rencontre des problèmes sérieux de motricité globale? Vous pourriez vouloir en apprendre davantage sur l’hippothérapie, une stratégie de réadaptation qui se base sur le mouvement tridimensionnel du cheval pour améliorer les fonctions neuromotrices et certains processus sensoriels. Dans cette entrevue, Carolyne Mainville, ergothérapeute et thérapeute reconnue et accréditée par l’American Hippotherapy Association (AHA), explique les fondements, les bienfaits, mais aussi les limites de cette thérapie encore peu connue au Québec.
Vous arrive-t-il souvent de voir un enfant faire des efforts physiques immenses avec un large sourire aux lèvres? C’est pourtant ainsi qu’Arielle (3 ans) et Jasmine (3 ans), respectivement touchées par la paralysie cérébrale et un retard de développement, abordent chaque semaine leur séance d’hippothérapie. L’équipe d’Hinnovic s’est entretenue avec François Neveu, le père d’Arielle, et Julie Benoit, la mère de Jasmine, elle-même ergothérapeute. Ils nous expliquent pourquoi ils se sont tournés vers l’hippothérapie et comment cette dernière a changé leur vie et celle de leur enfant.
There is a paradox in our society: on the one hand, we live in a pet-keeping culture where animals are loved and pampered. On the other hand, we use animals as experimental technologies and support practices such as xenotransplantation. How do we explain the co-existence of these two opposite cultures in one society? In this interview, Professor Thomas Schlich, who holds the Canada Research Chair in History of Medicine and teaches at McGill University, provides us with food for thoughts on the various and indispensable roles animals have played in the development of modern surgery.
In 1989, Williams and Pembroke described in The Lancet the case of a woman who had become suspicious of a lesion she had on her thigh because her dog spent several minutes a day sniffing intently at it and even attempted to bite it off. An histological examination revealed the lesion was indeed a malignant melanoma. Twelve years later, a similar story was reported by Church and Williams (2001).
