‘One medicine—one pathology’: are veterinary and human pathology prepared?

The American Medical Association and the American Veterinary Medical Association have recently approved resolutions supporting ‘One Medicine’ or ‘One Health’ that bridge the two professions. The concept is far from novel. Rudolf Virchow, the Father of Modern Pathology, and Sir William Osler, the Father of Modern Medicine, were outspoken advocates of the concept. The concept in its modern iteration was re-articulated in the 1984 edition of Calvin Schwabe's ‘Veterinary Medicine and Human Health.’ The veterinary and medical pathology professions are steeped in a rich history of ‘One Medicine,’ but they have paradoxically parted ways, leaving the discipline of pathology poorly positioned to contribute to contemporary science. The time has come for not only scientists but also all pathologists to recognize the value in comparative pathology, the consequences of ignoring the opportunity and, most importantly, the necessity of preparing future generations to meet the challenge inherent in the renewed momentum for ‘One Medicine.’ The impending glut of new genetically engineered mice creates an urgent need for prepared investigators and pathologists.