What have zebras got to do with rare diseases?

Did you know, the zebra has been used as a symbol for rare diseases since around 1940?

This comes from a quote by Dr Theodore Woodward:

“When you hear hoofbeats, think horses, not zebras” and “When you hear hoofbeats behind you, don’t expect to see a zebra”

It’s a fact that horses are more commonly encountered than zebras, so you would automatically assume that if you hear the sound of hooves, it must be a horse, not a zebra, right?

Just like every human has a unique set of fingerprint, every zebra has a unique stripe pattern. Every single zebra in the world has its own pattern.

This is why zebras are the perfect representation of the rare community.

We’re all the same, but different.