How to Let the Diagnostic Laboratory Help You

Abstract

As far as giving the diagnostic laboratory at Texas A&M a fine flair, one of the gentlemen, Dr. Sippel, is Mr. Diagnostics himself. He's the one that taught me how to give good service. (I have an eleven-minute film that goes through a day at a diagnostic lab.) Every week we try to have a couple of practitioners drop down to the lab and see what and why we do some of the things we do, and why we get some of the answers we do, and why we don't get the answers that they think we ought to get! Now, if that sounds a little like double talk, that's sometimes just about the way you have to unsnarl some of the tissues and material that come in. But at least this will do one thing-the majority of the veterinarians that I have spoken to have never really seen the inside "guts" of a diagnostic laboratory. If you'll just bear with me for eleven minutes I'm going to open up your eyes just a little bit. I do think that it gives you an idea that when your specimen gets there that we don't have a large board and we throw darts, and wherever the dart lands, that's the diagnosis we send back to you! Honest. I'm certainly happy to be associated with you folks, American Association of Bovine Practitioners, and I've got to thank the folks that have sure taken good care of me. I am, as far as diagnostic veterinary service, almost evangelic in my fervor, so if I repeat myself it's because I've (1) just forgotten that I already said it, or 2) I want to say it again so you'll remember it. I truly believe in what I'm going to tell you.