On February 5, 1975, New Zealand Post issued this stamp to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the Otago Medical School. The artist was Allan G Mitchell of Wellington.

For the first 50 years or so of settlement, New Zealand's population relied entirely on doctors who had been trained overseas. Today the majority of medical practitioners in New Zealand have received their medical training in New Zealand. The University of Otago was established by 1870, and in 1875 a medical school was in existence. At first only the first two years of a medical course was provided with students having to complete their studies and obtain their medical qualifications at some other school of medicine. From 1885 onwards it became possible to complete the whole medical course in Dunedin, and the first student to do so was William Ledingham Christie who qualified in 1887. The first woman to complete the medical course at Dunedin was Emily Siedeberg in 1896.

SG1068