More than any other 19th century veterinarians, James Law and Alexandre Liautard laid the groundwork for veterinary medicine as we know it today. One can only wonder how the profession would have developed if James Law had acceded to Liautard’s urging that he leave rural Ithaca and move his state-supported college to New York City, where he could have developed strengths in the beginning field of pet medicine and expand the academic and clinical relationships in the medical and comparative medical communities.