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Firsts and almost firsts in Hawaii ......
Here is the story behind one of Hawaii's "firsts," as noted by former state statistician Robert C. Schmitt.
» Veterinarians: Although animal diseases and injuries were undoubtedly treated early in the nineteenth centure, no references to professional veterinarians have been found before the 1880s. The earliest is an 1882 law establishing quarantine stations and authorizing the appointment of "competent persons as Inspectors of Animals."
The 1884 census -- the first to include a category for "veterinary surgeons" -- reported two such persons in the Kingdom: presumably A.T. Baker of Honolulu and Dr. James Brodie, who was appointed later that year as government veterinarian on Maui.
Source: "Firsts and Almost Firsts in Hawai'i" by Robert C. Schmitt; edited by Ron Ronck