A.C. Spannaus was a veterinarian who graduated from Kansas City College in 1916. He practiced in Waconia, Minnesota. During World War I, he served on the Army Veterinary Corps.
He served as president of the Minnesota Veterinary Medical Association from 1932 to 1933, and was a member of the state veterinary examining and licensing board in the 1950s.
In this interview, Dr. Spannaus describes the ailments and remedies of his early days of practicing veterinary medicine. He describes many aspects of veterinary practice in the early 1900s, including laws and licensing, "quacks," repurposing everyday objects for veterinary needs, taking calls by horse and buggy, and practicing in harsh Minnesota winters.
Interviewed completed on December 9th, 1986, by John Arnold.
Full interview and transcript available upon request.
Oral Interview Clip, "Night Calls":
Do you have any interesting experiences on night calls?
One afternoon about five o'clock I got a call on the other side of the lake [Lake Waconia]. And the only way you could get to the other side of the lake was to cross the lake -- which is about four miles. Because around the lake the roads weren't open in winter. Went there, and took my horse into the barn and fed him. And took care of his sick horse. And we went into the house and had supper, and about seven o'clock I hitched up, ready to go home. I got down to about a half a mile out on the lake and got into a snow storm -- I couldn't hardly see the horse. Now what? So I put the lines around my shoulders and let the horse go. I didn't do anything because I had a horse I could depend on fairly well. He never left the road! And I never was so glad. Then when I got about close to the island, I got into some water on the ice. And we splashed through that and got back on the track again, and I never was so glad in my life to see the lights of town when I got close to town.
What time of the year was this?
That must have been sometime in January or February. It was a real doozy, that night.
Was it usual when you went out on calls that would take some time, like a colic in a horse, that they would put your horse in the barn?
Well, if it was something that they figured would take a while, my horses were put in the barn and fed, and blanketed.
I had another experience. One night it was about nine o'clock at night, I was standing in front of the window, looking out, and I says to my wife, "this is a night you wouldn't want to chase the dog out". And about a couple of minutes later the telephone rang. Here a fellow had gone to work and cleaned the top of his silo and buried the moldy silage into the manure pile and then he let his horses out -- seven of them. And they ate that silage, and they were -- all seven were sick. "Can you come out", he said. I don't know how I can make it. He said, "you can make it!" So I had a Model-A Roadster that went through a lot of snow. So I started off and I got to within about a mile of his place and I got into the ditch. And then I shoveled off and fussed around and I finally got back on the road and I got to his place. Well in the meantime, the wind had knocked down the telephone wires. I couldn't call home to let my wife know that I got there and I wasn't going to come home until the morning. So we treated the horses and I stayed overnight and had breakfast. By breakfast time we went down and looked at the horses again and they were all eating, I had a good night's work. And I got home the next morning about 10 o'clock and the Mrs. was just about frantic! We had a Doberman pinscher. He was her companion and he would follow her all over and just kept company for her. It made a lot of difference.
I don't remember anything else. There was probably some other things.
Oh yeah, one night I drove over across the lake with the buggy to try the cut-off [and shorten my route.] I got to the other side of the lake on the northwest side. If I didn't go to work one of the horses fell into open water. And I had the horses freshly shod that afternoon. And I just said "giddy-up, get-get going". We got the horse out so she could get her front feet on the ice again, and she got out, and I got through that water hole. When I [giggling] got over to the farmer's place, he said, "Gee you must have drove fast, your horses are all wet.”