The Derby Hat

                              The Derby Hat

    The Derby hat was designed by James & George Lock of St. James St., London, England, in 1850.  In England, this hat was known as a derby hat, after Edward  Stanley, 12^th Earl of Derby (1752-1834), founder of the English Derby.  It was also known as the Iron hat.  The cultural significance in the United States was slightly different.  Though certainly not exclusively so, the derby tended to be associated  with urban culture, and particularly with the well-to-do that had risen from the working class. Veterinary medicine as it is known today, is nothing like it was 200  years ago.  Yet, the true medical progress in both human medicine and veterinary medicine has been in just the last 150 years.  

                       The 150^th AVMA Anniversary Convention

For the 150^th AVMA Anniversary Convention in 2013, in Chicago, I suggested to Dr. Ron DeHaven, AVMA Executive Vice President to make the Derby Hat a symbol of the 150^th.

This photo was taken at the January 2015 AVMA Board meeting, held at the AVMA Headquarters in Schaumburg, IL,