American Veterinarian Working In Canterbury

Press, Volume CI, Issue 29776, 20 March 1962, Page 7

American Veterinarian Working In Canterbury

An American, Dr. G. K. Cordell, is area veterinarian in charge of tuberculosis control and eradication in Canterbury and the West Coast, under the Government’s scheme to eliminate the disease from all dairy cattle in the country. Dr. Cordell is a veterinarian on the staff of the Department of Agriculture in Christchurch. Dr. Cordell said that his duties in relation to tuberculosis were supervisory and regulatory, and one of his tasks had been to see what testing could be done by private and club veterinarians, as well as departmental veterinarians and livestock instructors who had been specially trained for the purpose, so that testing could be proceeded with as expeditiously as possibly. Testing might begin in Canterbury about May. Veterinary problems seemed to be so well under control in New Zealand that the approach to such a problem as tuberculosis control was greatly simplified, said Dr. Cordell He had been much impressed by how well New Zealand farmers , were informed, compared with those in other parts of the world, and how they practised techniques and methods advocated by the extension services.

"We have to keep on our toes to keep up with them,” he added.

Before coming to New Zealand with his wife and two children, Dr. Cordell was in private practice as a veterinarian at St Thomas, Virgin Islands. W’est Indies. In 1954 he graduated doctor of veterinary medicine from the University of Georgia's veterinary school at Athens. It was there that he met his wife Harryette. who. since her marriage, has been closely associated with her husband's work. In the evenings while her husband was studying at the university, she attended lectures given by the dean and professors of the school. Museum Post

Before training as a veterinarian, Dr. Cordell was assistant curator of reptiles at the Chicago Museum of Natural History under Dr C H. Pope. This involved the collection and classification of rer‘ les and amphibians from all parts of the world and the assembling of information about them. Dr. Cordell recalls that the museum had a 22ft python which had been shipped from Burma. Because it thrived under feeding in captivity, it was fed and information was collected on its growth rate. A Turkish towel was kept handy at the museum, he

said, so that when the snake gripped too tightly, the victim could fluff the towel in the snake's face to make it let go. The python subsequently became a pet in the home of Dr. Pope, who also had kangaroo rats as pets in his home.

While he was in practice in De Kalg county in Georgia. Dr. Cordell also had as a pet a boa constrictor called Rosalyn. The snake came from Colombia, in South America, and was bought by Dr. Cordell for 10 dollars from a boy who was frightening his playmates with it.

For a time Dr. Cordell acted in an advisory capacity as a veterinarian at the Brookfield zoo in Chicago, the second largest zoo in the United States. He was also for a time a research associate at the Institute of Veterinary Research at the lowa State College at Ames. His work there was on animal arthritis.

Porpoise Research In the West Indies Dr Cordell acted as veterinary adviser to a group undertaking neurological research on the porpoise. He said that Government funds were being put into this work because o' its possible bearing on space flights. The porpoise could not only withstand great gravitational pulls but could also go for long periods without sleep. It also had a very large brain in proportion to its body weight, and had been shown to have a high degree of intelligence. Porpoises had their own language and had also been observer to medicate to one another said Mrs CordelL Dr. Cordell’s interest in New Zealand was aroused when he had access to New Zealand veterinary publications during his training. It then occurred to him that New Zealand might be an interesting country for a veterinarian, and while in the Virgin Islands he wrote to the former Minister of Agriculture, Mr Skinner, to see if his qualifications would be accepted here. After a long delay because of a change in government Dr. Cordell received an encouraging letter from the late Minister of Agriculture, Mr Gillespie, and an inquiry whether he might be interested in joining the Department of Agriculture Now that Dr Cordell is here other American veterinarians may follow in his footsteps. He expects that a Texan will be coming soon and he may also be stationed in the South Island. Dr. Cordell is continuing his interest in wildlife in New Zealand. Recently he looked after a blue penguin until it could be liberated again. Its capacity to eat fish became a significant item at the family budget.