I first skipped
through the book then I became attached to its contents… then I read slowly through
some subheadings and so I became totally overwhelmed by the book and decided to
read it carefully to grasp it well. While I was reading the book, the hot
debate between Dr. Khaled Montaser and others around a certain kind of therapy
erupted. Those others claim that this therapy is the best while Dr. Montaser
insists it is a complete fiasco.
I found that I
have already written about this case before when I published the message I got
from my friend professor Dr. Sameh Morkos; Radiology professor at University of
Sheffield. In his message – the one I published here a few weeks ago – Dr.
Morkos detailed the ethics, rules and basics that should regulate the practice
of medicine in Egypt and the necessity to tighten censorship over advertisements
broadcasted on TV that do not commit to any professional, scientific or legal
bases.
It is “Medicine
and physicians in Egypt… building the professional identity and medical system”
authored by Sylvia Schiphol, translated by Magda Abaza and edited by Tarek
Youssef. The first thing that caught my attention is the prejudice towards the
translator; Mrs. Magda Abaza as both the editor and the publisher – the
national project for translation affiliated to the Supreme Council of Culture –
did not enlist an introduction brief about the translator who did such taxing
work of translation.
I also noticed
that the book is an abridged version of a PhD thesis submitted in September,
1994 in EHESS under the supervision of Fani Colona. I was surprised that a European
French scholar was interested in this subject, and I was even more astonished
to find details combining between history, sociology, anthropology and culture
in a very interesting narration and that all this is about Egypt… Egypt alone,
except for some comparisons made to other countries. I can say it is a
scientific piece of work that is both specialized and encyclopedic at the same
time. Here, I would like to thank the one who chose this book to be translated,
the translator and the editor.
Amidst the hot
argument over stem cells’ therapy which we cannot separate from the ethics and
rules of medicine practice, I found texts of Hippocrates’ wisdoms and oath in
this book issued in 2005 by the Supreme Council of Culture. I will excerpt the
whole texts here so that some of those who turned medicine into commerce and superstition
may read them.
First, we read
wisdoms of Hippocrates who was born on the Greek island of Kos in 460 B.C.. He
is one of the most famous ancient physicians. He also lived for 95 years. The
texts say: “medicine is about measurement and experiments”… “An illness that
has a known cause shall have its cure”… “When people ate what carnivores eat,
they became sick… when we fed them what birds eat, they became healthy”… “We
eat to live; we don’t live to eat… “The sick shall seek medicine in the nature
around him”. He was once asked: “why does the body go in a state of bustling if
man was given cure?” he said: “because the house is dustier when you sweep it”…
“Resisting the desire to eat is easier than curing illness”. One of
Hippocrates’ best wisdoms is: “All I have of science is my knowledge that I am
not a scientist”.
As to Hippocratic Oath, Muwaffaq ed-Din bin Abi-Usaybe’a has
transferred it in his book Tabaqat el-Atibba’a or History of Physicians.
Again, the book of “Medicine and physicians in Egypt… building the professional
identity and medical system” has excerpted the oath saying: “I swear by Apollo
The Healer, by Asclepius, by Hygieia, by Panacea, and by all the Gods and Goddesses, making them my
witnesses, that I will carry out, according to my ability and judgment, this
oath and this indenture.
To hold my teacher in this art equal to my own
parents; to make him partner in my livelihood; when he is in need of money to
share mine with him; to consider his family as my own brothers, and to teach
them this art, if they want to learn it, without fee or indenture; to impart
precept, oral instruction, and all other instruction to my own sons, the sons
of my teacher, and to indentured pupils who have taken the physician’s oath,
but to nobody else.
I will use treatment to help the sick according to my
ability and judgment, but never with a view to injury and wrong-doing. Neither
will I administer a poison to anybody when asked to do so, nor will I suggest
such a course. Similarly I will not give to a woman a pessary to cause
abortion. But I will keep pure and holy both my life and my art. I will not use
the knife, not even, verily, on sufferers from stone,
but I will give place to such as are craftsmen therein.
Into whatsoever houses I enter, I will enter to help
the sick, and I will abstain from all intentional wrong-doing and harm,
especially from abusing the bodies of man or woman, bond or free. And
whatsoever I shall see or hear in the course of my profession, as well as
outside my profession in my intercourse with men, if it be what should not be
published abroad, I will never divulge, holding such things to be holy secrets.
Now if I carry out this oath, and break it not, may I
gain for ever reputation among all men for my life and for my art; but if I
transgress it and forswear myself, may the opposite befall me”.
My question now: do graduates of the faculty of
medicine still swear on this oath? Is there anything that can force them not to
violate this oath? Will con artists and frauds keep making use of this
almost-sacred profession?
We shall have another tour in this book to tell you
about Ibrahim en-Nabarawi, Muhammed Ali Pasha el-Baqli, Muhammed Fawzi Pek,
Muhammed Durri Pasha… those dignified pioneers of this sacrosanct profession.
Regarding last week’s article titled “Sakalans”,
I have received a lot of comments over it and I am very much interested in
published a certain one that included an important addition. The comment was
sent to me by Mr. Ahmed Lotfi, senior instructor of Aviation physics and
ex-consultant of the British Military airplanes’ company for training affairs,
as he introduced himself.
He wrote: “in Farag’s dictionary of Egyptian slang and
folk expressions of craftsmen and artisans authored by Sami Farag on page 222: Sakalans
is a slang expression meaning mix of many things without order. This expression
is a distorted version of “Escolanza” which is a trade mark of a spirit
drink that was common at the first half of the 20th century where
raisins were mixed with wine and Brandy. This spirit drink used to lead quickly
to intoxication and insobriety. The word Escolanza is probably derived
from the Italian word “Mescolanza” meaning mix or diverse. Also, it is near in
meaning to Hybrid”… thanks a lot to Mr. Ahmed Lotfi.
This article was published in Almasry alyoum newspaper
in May 19, 2015.
To see the
original article, go to:
#almasry_alyoum
#ahmed_elgammal #Egypt #medicine_in_Egypt #Hippocratic_oath
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