Cardiff University | Prifysgol Caerdydd ORCA
Online Research @ Cardiff 
WelshClear Cookie - decide language by browser settings

The local universality of veterinary expertise and the geography of animal disease

Enticott, Gareth Paul ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5510-9597 2012. The local universality of veterinary expertise and the geography of animal disease. Transactions of the Institute of British Geographers 31 (1) , pp. 75-88. 10.1111/j.1475-5661.2011.00452.x

[thumbnail of Enticott 2012 TIBG post-print.pdf]
Preview
PDF - Accepted Post-Print Version
Download (650kB) | Preview

Abstract

This paper explores the concept of local universality in relation to the regulation of animal health. Protocols have come to play an important role in medical practice, standardising diseases and the expertise required to identify them. Focusing on the use of protocols to identify bovine tuberculosis (bTB) in England and Wales, it is argued that the decontextualised expertise inherent to protocols comes unstuck in practice. Using ethnographies of two veterinary practices, the paper instead shows how forms of situated veterinary expertise emerge in response to practical contingencies, thereby enacting different ontological versions of bTB. The development of these skills stems from the relationships that organise bTB testing as well as through informal work-based modes of learning. Although these practices vary from place to place and depart from the bTB testing protocol, it is variation in practice rather than uniformity that effectively allows the protocol to work. In conclusion, the paper discusses how the management of animal health may be assisted by a flexible rather than uniform approach to disease and veterinary expertise.

Item Type: Article
Date Type: Publication
Status: Published
Schools: Geography and Planning (GEOPL)
Subjects: S Agriculture > SF Animal culture
Uncontrolled Keywords: standardisation; bovine tuberculosis; local universality; veterinary surgeons; medical regulation; animal health
Publisher: Wiley-Blackwell
ISSN: 1475-5661
Date of First Compliant Deposit: 30 March 2016
Last Modified: 18 Nov 2023 17:11
URI: https://orca.cardiff.ac.uk/id/eprint/17514

Citation Data

Cited 41 times in Scopus. View in Scopus. Powered By Scopus® Data

Actions (repository staff only)

Edit Item Edit Item

Downloads

Downloads per month over past year

View more statistics