Bodo Schulenburg was a general surgeon in Pietermaritzburg, South Africa. Born on 6 February 1907 in Lichtenburg, Transvaal, he was the third of the four sons of Wilhelm Christoph Hermann Schulenburg, a missionary, and his wife Anna Marie Dorothea née Kroger. Educated at Primary Farm School, Transvaal and Lichtenburg High School, he matriculated in 1924. The following year he enrolled at the University of Cape Town to study medicine and graduated MB ChB in 1930. After working as a house surgeon at the New Somerset Hospital in Cape Town, he travelled to the UK and did house jobs at Queen Mary’s Hospital, the Fulham Cancer Hospital and St James’ Hospital. While working there he was mentored by Percival Cole, John Geoffrey Yates-Bell, Maurice Sinclair and Godfrey Taunton. He passed the fellowship of the college in 1936. On his return to South Africa he became medical superintendant at Pietermaritzburg Hospital. During the second world war he served as a surgeon with the rank of major in the 26 Air School. Later he combined his work at the hospital with private practice. He was chairman of the South African Medical Association Pietermaritzburg branch; vice-chairman of the hospital board; a member of the Pietermaritzburg town council and chairman of its health committee; and chairman of the Pietermaritzburg Tattersals. In 1937 he married a nurse, Miss Fisher, and they had three sons, the youngest of whom qualified in medicine from the University of Stellenbosch. Outside medicine he enjoyed cattle ranching, stamp collecting, golf and clay pigeon shooting.