Previous Lot Next Lot

Auction: 25001 - Orders, Decorations and Medals
Lot: 279

Royal Durban Rifles

94 Medals issued to this unit, all without clasp.

The rare campaign pair awarded to Surgeon J. Shulz, Royal Durban Rifles

South Africa 1877-79, no clasp (Surgn. J. Shulz. M.D. Rl. Dn. Rifles.); Germany, Prussia, 1848-49 Medal, good very fine (2)

Julius Shulz (sometimes Shultz) was born on 6 July 1823 at Berlin, Germany and was a son of Dr Johann Heinrich Schulz. He studied medicine at the Royal Friedrich Wilhelm University in Berlin from 1845-49 and qualified as a Doctor of Medicine. He first served in the Army as a Volunteer Sub-Doctor of the 4th Company, Emperor Franz Grenadier Regiment from April 1849-April 1850 and in 1855 was appointed Surgeon to the 2nd Light Dragoons of the British German Legion. He emigrated to Natal in 1857 as Regimental Surgeon to the British German Legion of settlers and was licensed to practice as physician, surgeon, surgeon-accoucheur and surgeon-apothecary in the Colony in February 1858. Initially he practiced on his farm at Westville, near Durban, but struggled to make a living. Later he moved to Smith Street, Durban, became police surgeon and health officer to the town (1874-91) and developed a successful practice. He was in medical charge of the Royal Durban Rifles when it was established in 1873 and commenced ambulance classes later that year.

In the early eighteen-eighties he was a member of the Port Natal Masonic Lodge. Because hospital facilities were limited he often performed operations at his home, assisted by his wife. They had four sons. The first two learned a great deal about medicine from their father before qualifying as medical doctors in Berlin.

Schulz played an active role in several societies that flourished in Durban during the latter half of the nineteenth century. During the first year of the short-lived Natural History Association of Natal (1868-71), he was scheduled to read a paper, On the physiology of the mind, in September. When the Durban Medico-chirurgical Society was formed in 1871 he was one of its eight foundation members. In 1881 he served on the council of the Natal Society. In 1879 he became one of the founding members of the Natal Microscopical Society (1878-85) and was elected its President for the first two years. On 22 October 1878 he read a paper before its members on Results of microscopic examination of water of Little Umhlanga.

The good Doctor died at Durban on 10 March 1891 (Biographical Database of Southern African Science, refers).

Subject to 20% VAT on Buyer’s Premium. For more information please view Terms and Conditions for Buyers.

Estimate
£600 to £800

Starting price
£480