Daniel Elmer Salmon (July 23, 1850 – August 30, 1914) was an American veterinarian. He earned the first D.V.M. degree awarded in the United States, and spent his career studying animal diseases for the U.S. Department of Agriculture. The bacterial genus ''

Salmonella ''Salmonella'' is a genus of rod-shaped (bacillus) Gram-negative bacteria of the family Enterobacteriaceae. The two species of ''Salmonella'' are '' Salmonella enterica'' and '' Salmonella bongori''. ''S. enterica'' is the type species and is ...

'', which was discovered by an assistant, was named in his honor.

Early life and education

Salmon was born in

Mount Olive Township, New Jersey Mount Olive Township is a township in Morris County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the township's population was 28,117,Eastman Business College. He then attended

Cornell University Cornell University is a private statutory land-grant research university based in Ithaca, New York. It is a member of the Ivy League. Founded in 1865 by Ezra Cornell and Andrew Dickson White, Cornell was founded with the intention to tea ...

and graduated with the degree of

Bachelor of Veterinary Medicine The Bachelor of Veterinary Science (BVSc or BVSC; Latin Baccalaureus Veterinariae Scientiae), "Bachelor of Veterinary Medicine" (BVetMed), or "Bachelor of Veterinary Medicine and Surgery" ("BVM&S" or "BVMS") is a degree for studies in veterinary m ...

in 1872. After an additional four years of study, in veterinary health and science, he was awarded the professional degree of

Doctor of Veterinary Medicine A veterinarian (vet), also known as a veterinary surgeon or veterinary physician, is a medical professional who practices veterinary medicine. They manage a wide range of health conditions and injuries in non-human animals. Along with this, vet ...

from Cornell in 1876, the first D.V.M. degree granted in the United States. Toward the end of his career at Cornell, he studied at the Alfort Veterinary School in

Paris Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. Si ...

, France.

Career

Salmon opened a veterinary practice in

Newark, New Jersey Newark ( , ) is the List of municipalities in New Jersey, most populous City (New Jersey), city in the U.S. state of New Jersey and the county seat, seat of Essex County, New Jersey, Essex County and the second largest city within the New Yo ...

in 1872, and subsequently moved to

Asheville, North Carolina Asheville ( ) is a city in, and the county seat of, Buncombe County, North Carolina. Located at the confluence of the French Broad and Swannanoa rivers, it is the largest city in Western North Carolina, and the state's 11th-most populous cit ...

in 1875. In 1877, he gave a series of lectures at the

University of Georgia , mottoeng = "To teach, to serve, and to inquire into the nature of things.""To serve" was later added to the motto without changing the seal; the Latin motto directly translates as "To teach and to inquire into the nature of things." , establ ...

on the topic of veterinary science. He worked for the State of

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

, studying diseases in swine and for the

United States Department of Agriculture The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) is the federal executive department responsible for developing and executing federal laws related to farming, forestry, rural economic development, and food. It aims to meet the needs of comme ...

studying animal diseases in the southern states. In 1883, he was asked to establish a veterinary division within the Department of Agriculture. This became the

Bureau of Animal Industry President Chester A. Arthur signed the Animal Industry Act23 STAT 31 on May 29, 1884 creating the Bureau of Animal Industry (BAI), an organization that was established under the United States Department of Agriculture. It replaced the Veterinary Di ...

, and he served as its chief from 1884 to December 1, 1905. Under his leadership, the Bureau eradicated Mycoplasma mycoides, the causative agent of contagious bovine pleuropneumonia in the United States, studied and controlled Texas fever ''(

Babesia ''Babesia'', also called ''Nuttallia'', is an apicomplexan parasite that infects red blood cells and is transmitted by ticks. Originally discovered by the Romanian bacteriologist Victor Babeș in 1888, over 100 species of ''Babesia'' have since ...

)'', put in place the federal meat inspection program, began inspecting exported livestock and the ships carrying them, began inspecting and quarantining imported livestock, and studied the effect of animal diseases on public health. In 1906 he established the veterinary department at the University of Montevideo,

Uruguay Uruguay (; ), officially the Oriental Republic of Uruguay ( es, República Oriental del Uruguay), is a country in South America. It shares borders with Argentina to its west and southwest and Brazil to its north and northeast; while bordering ...

and was its head for five years. He returned to the United States in 1911 and concentrated on veterinary work in the western region of the country. ''

'' a genus of microorganisms, was named after him in 1900 by

Joseph Leon Lignières Joseph Leon Lignières was a French-Argentinian veterinarian and bacteriologist, the binomial authority for the Salmonella genus of bacteria. Lignières was born on 26 March 1868 in Saint-Mihiel, Meuse The Meuse ( , , , ; wa, Moûze ) or Ma ...

, although the man who actually discovered and named the first strain, ''Salmonella choleraesuis,'' was Theobald Smith, Salmon's research assistant. Smith had isolated the bacterium in 1885. Since that time, more than 2,500 subtypes have been identified. Salmon was one of the original developers of Somerset, Maryland, where he built his residence, now known as the

Salmon-Stohlman House The Salmon-Stohlman House, also known as Clover Crest, is a historic home located at Somerset, Montgomery County, Maryland. It is a -story, frame structure built about 1893, and designed in a transitional manner with late Victorian detailing. ...

Death

Salmon died of pneumonia on August 30, 1914, in

Butte, Montana Butte ( ) is a consolidated city-county and the county seat of Silver Bow County, Montana, United States. In 1977, the city and county governments consolidated to form the sole entity of Butte-Silver Bow. The city covers , and, according to t ...

, at the age of 64. He is buried in Washington, D.C.

Honors

* Honorary Associate of the

Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons The Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons (RCVS) is the regulatory body for veterinary surgeons in the United Kingdom, established in 1844 by royal charter. It is responsible for monitoring the educational, ethical and clinical standards of the ...

of Great Britain * Fellow of the

American Association for the Advancement of Science The American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) is an American international non-profit organization with the stated goals of promoting cooperation among scientists, defending scientific freedom, encouraging scientific respons ...

* President and member of the executive committee,

American Veterinary Medical Association The American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA), founded in 1863, is a not-for-profit association representing more than 99,500 veterinarians in the US. The AVMA provides information resources, continuing education opportunities, publicati ...

* Member of th
"Washington Academy of Sciences"
Zimmermann, Margaret Stephens and Franklin Bennett Tucker
"The Salmon Family Genealogy & History"
Mount Olive, NJ: Salmon Family Association and Seven Lakes, NC: Harris Printing Co, Inc., 1990, pp. 56.

References

External links

* *

{{DEFAULTSORT:Salmon, Daniel Elmer 1850 births 1914 deaths American pathologists American veterinarians Bureau of Animal Industry Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine alumni Deaths from pneumonia in Montana Eastman Business College alumni Male veterinarians People from Mount Olive Township, New Jersey People from Somerset, Maryland United States Department of Agriculture officials University of the Republic (Uruguay) faculty