In 1907 Dr G. W. Bampfylde Daniell was the first doctor to be appointed an anaesthetist in a South African hospital. Little is known about his work, but due acknowledgement must be made to his pioneering efforts to place anaesthesia on a sound scientific basis, and to his various contributions towards making the specialty safe and comfortable. During his career in South Africa, he played an active role in the then Cape of Good Hope, Western Branch, of the British Medical Association.