The Division of Comparative Medicine came to life at MIT at a time when the importance of comparative medicine as a field, and laboratory animal medicine as a veterinary specialty, were first truly being recognized. Comparative Medicine is the study of the similarities and differences between animals and humans, and how we can apply what we learn about health and disease states in different species to advance knowledge and medicine across species. DCM’s founding director, Dr. Jim Fox, spearheaded the publication of the first “Laboratory Animal Medicine” textbook in 1984, along with Bennett Cohen and Franklin Loew. Two editions and over 20 related textbooks later, the “Blue Books” series have become the definitive textbook series of the American College of Laboratory Animal Medicine (ACLAM), and DCM remains not only a trailblazer but a leader in the field of comparative medicine.
