Historical Perspectives: History of Veterinary Medicine and Marine Mammals: A Personal Perspective

Abstract

He completed a large share of the seminal work in marine mammal medicine, and he continues to promote both applied and basic research in the field of marine mammalogy. He has published over 260 papers, book chapters, and books, including one of the most definitive works on marine mammals, Mammals of the Sea (1972). Much of his work has examined mammalian bioacoustics with a focus on dolphin auditory physiology and echolocation. Dr. Ridgway and the late Dr. Kenneth Norris share the high distinction of being viewed as the founders of dolphin physiology and medicine.Dr. Ridgway earned his Bachelor of Science (1958) and Doctor of Veterinary Medicine degrees (1960) from Texas A&M University. Commissioned as a Veterinary Officer in the U.S. Air Force in 1960, he was sent from Texas to California. In California, he was soon involved in the initiation of the U.S. Navy Marine Mammal Program (NMMP) at Point Mugu. In the 1960s, Dr. Ridgway pioneered dolphin anesthesia, medical technology, and methods for studying trained dolphins swimming freely in the open sea. In 1965, his work on marine mammal diving transitioned for use in the Navy SEALAB II project. At the suggestion of Captain George Bond, Medical Director of SEALAB, in 1966, Sam began preliminary work at Point Mugu, California, on the dolphin's ability to detect human divers. This work transitioned to Hawaii for development by Navy trainers and engineers of animal/human underwater intruder defense teams, first used in Viet Nam starting in 1970. (Human diver/marine mammal teams continue to work for personnel safety today in harbor defense, mine hunting, and underwater object recovery; see www.spawar.navy.mil/ sandiego/technology/mammals/index.html.) In 1970, Dr. Ridgway received a Navy fellowship for study under Professor Richard Harrison, FRS at Cambridge University, England. He earned his Ph.D. and returned to NMMP, which had moved to San Diego while he was in Cambridge. Dr. Ridgway has served on over 20 Ph.D. committees and has personally trained over 30 veterinarians through two-to six-year tours of duty with NMMP. Professionals Dr. Ridgway has mentored are now in zoological institutions, on university faculty, in the military (one is a General Officer), in government employment, and one is an astronaut. Dr. Ridgway is an elected Fellow of the Acoustical Society of America for his studies on hearing of marine mammals and also is a Fellow of the American College of Zoological Medicine for his work on marine mammal medicine. In 2008, the Acoustical Society of America honored Dr. Ridgway at their 156th conference in Miami, Florida, with 24 special presentations on his work over the past 40 years. Other awards include the Distinguished Alumnus Award, Texas A&M University, College of Veterinary Medicine; the Lifetime and Clinical Medicine Awards from the International Association for Aquatic Animal Medicine; Lifetime Membership Award, Society for Marine Mammalogy; the ZooMarine Award of the European Association for Aquatic Mammals; and two Navy awards-the Gilbert H. C...