Biography of Jacob Versfeld

Jacob Versfeld from Cape of Good Hope, Cape Colony was probably the first Cape student to qualify at a British medical school. He attended Dr James Jeffray's class in session 1822-23, graduating MD from Edinburgh in 1825.

As a Cape Dutch (a descendant of the original Dutch settlers), Versfeld represented the trend to switch from study at the University of Leyden to Scottish Universities during a period of assimilation into the British Empire and the influence of the Scottish Presbyterian ministers replacing those of the Dutch Reformed Church.

Sources

Other Online Resources

• E. H. Burrows, The Leyden Tradition in South African Medicine, South African Medical Journal, Vol. 30 No. 11, 17 March 1956

Archival Materials

• Jeffray Medical Students Database 1790-1840

Summary

Jacob Versfeld
GU Degree: Medical, Veterinary and Life Sciences, 1822-23;
University Link: Student
Occupation categories: physicians
English snippet: One of the first South African-born students
Record last updated: 24th Sep 2012

Country Associations

South Africa, Cape of Good Hope
Place of Birth

University Connections

University Roles

• Student