Milliron Monday: University Research Benefits Society 1 18 2021

 

"Dr. Smith's standing as one of the country's leading equine surgeons was a major factor in attracting the NIH funds."

Abbott "Pete" Smith, D.V.M.

June 16, 1938 - February 22, 2010

Welcome to Milliron Monday where every Monday we celebrate the legacy of Pete Smith, D.V.M., and  Milliron: Abbott “Pete” Smith, D.V.M. The Biography (Monday Creek Publishing 2017). A graduate of Colorado State University and a well-known veterinarian in southeast Ohio, Dr. Smith continues to motivate and inspire. 

From the 1976 Spring issue of the Ohio University Alumni Journal, Dr. Smith and Dr. Wagner are featured for their work in medical research...

University Research Benefits Society

    Some people say that important medical research is best done in big city universities and research centers.

    Ohio University associate professor of chemistry Thomas Wagner, a former researcher at the Sloan-Kettering Institute, refutes this, saying that in some cases, the rural setting is better, particularly when the research is being done initially on large animals.

    To prove it, Wagner and a collaborator, local veterinarian Abbott P. Smith, successfully sought a grant from the National Institute of Health (NIH) - at a time when medical grant money was scarce - and are now engaged in research which could lead to more knowledge of human birth defects.

    Dr. Smith's standing as a leader in the development of equine surgical techniques and practices was a major factor in attracting the NIH funds, Wagner said. Equally impressive to the NIH team that did an on-site visit was Smith's well-equipped veterinarian clinic which contains certain pieces of equipment that even some veterinary colleges don't have.

    Together the men are studying the initial events in fertilization. Horses are being used in the research because of their large size. The researchers contend that if they can determine exactly what happens when sperm meets ovum, they might also be able to tell something about irregular fertilization and the causes of birth defects.

    Wagner points to a number of advantages of the rural setting for such medical study. A major one is the relative ease of maintaining herds of large test animals in an agricultural area as opposed to a city. He cited the example of one major urban university medical center which has to hire a sheepherder to transport a flock of eight sheep by elevator each day from ground floor stalls.

    The cost of maintaining the animals is also less in rural Southeastern Ohio because grazing land is plentiful and grain can be raised right here rather than shipped in.

    Most important to this particular project, Wagner said, is the availability of a private practicing vet with the skill to handle the surgery part of the research. Such a collaboration is unique in the country because usually a scientist is teamed up with a medical doctor for medical research.

    Wagner says a veterinarian is actually preferable since MDs only know about one species - humans - and yet are required to conduct their research on animals. "Veterinarians are really more qualified to do such research and probably are more sensitive to their best subjects," he said.

    The actual research involves Wagner examining the detailed molecular changes in the chromosomal material of the male sperm cell during and after fertilization, which he simulates in a chemical environment. In the meantime Smith is perfecting a surgical technique so that a just-fertilized egg can quickly and easily be removed from a horse and examined microscopically.

    Wagner said both researchers share an interest in the basic sciences, and that with this project comes the opportunity to take a whole animal down to the molecular level to see how it reproduces.

Dr. Wagner steadies a horse while Dr. Smith gives it an injection in preparation for a surgical procedure as part of a cooperative research project. "Never a day goes by that some interesting quirk in our research doesn't pop up. We also have the possibility of being in on the ground floor of what may be something very big. And there's bound to be other kinds of fallout from any research project," Smith said. Wagner added that both of them share an interest in the basic sciences and that with this project comes the opportunity to take a whole animal down to the molecular level to see how it reproduces.

    The result of their study, which is funded by the National Institute of Health (NIH), may aid in the understanding of the causes of birth defects which occur in early pregnancy in humans.

    Wagner's part of the project involves examining the detailed molecular changes in the chromosomal material of the male sperm cell during and after fertilization which he simulates in a chemical environment in his laboratory.

    In the meantime, Smith is perfecting a surgical technique so that a just-fertilized egg can quickly be removed from a horse and examined microscopically to see how it compares to the simulation.

    Dr. Smith's standing as one of the country's leading equine surgeons was a major factor in attracting the NIH funds, according to Wagner. Equally impressive to the NIH team that did an on-site visit of the lab and the clinic was Smith's well-equipped facility which has some equipment lacking in veterinarian colleges.

    Commenting on the unique collaboration between vet and professor, Wagner noted that the arrangement has some advantages not usually present in a medical doctor-scientist investigation. While an MD is familiar with only one species - humans - a veterinarian is qualified to work with test animals.

    And while some people think of important medical research as happening at "big city universities," Wagner pointed out the advantage of Ohio University's rural setting which is ideal for the raising and maintaining of large numbers of experimental animals.

 

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Milliron: The Biography

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Through captivating, powerful, and emotional anecdotes, we celebrate the life of Dr. Abbott P. Smith. His biography takes the reader from smiles to laughter to empathy and tears. Dr. Smith gave us compelling lessons learned from animals; the role animals play in the human condition, the joy of loving an animal, and the awe of their spirituality. A tender and profound look into the life of a skilled veterinarian.