Thursday, May 07, 2009

Naming Ceremony 5 May 2009

The Veterinary Science Library of the University of Pretoria was named on 5 May 2009 by the Chancellor of the University in honour of the first South African to qualify as a veterinarian, Dr JOTELLO F. SOGA.

He studied at the Royal Dick College at the University of Edinburgh, obtaining the veterinary degree in 1886. There was no veterinary training facility in South Africa until 1920 when Sir Arnold Theiler founded the Faculty of Veterinary Science, University of Pretoria.

As the present Dean, Prof Gerry Swan pointed out: "Dr Soga played an important role in combating rinderpest and lung sickness as the first qualified South African veterinarian. Yet he is better known as a pioneer researcher in the study of toxic plants and their effect on animals."

Read more about Dr Jotello Soga on our website: http://www.library.up.ac.za/vet/soga.htm

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