Equine veterinarians in South Africa - 220 years of service

Abstract

Veterinarians in South Africa today are inclined to think their profession started with Arnold Theiler’s arrival in 1891 from Switzerland, or Duncan Hutcheon’s arrival in 1880, or even Samuel Wiltshire in 1874, all in the closing decades of the 19th Century. However, there is clear evidence of equine veterinary surgeons being active in the old Cape Colony from 1799, mainly with the British cavalry regiments that were sent to the country. One source states that 36 of 45 veterinarians active between 1800 and 1881 were in military service. Equine practitioners are clearly the oldest part of the veterinary profession in South Africa and have also made major contributions in the subsequent decades