PROFILES

Kamel Hussein 
 A Great Teacher and Philosopher

(1901-1977)

 

By Prof. M.K. Booz

Professor Mohammad Kamel Hussein (MKH), known in Egypt as the Father of Orthopedics, was an exemplary teacher and philosopher. The world knows him as a prolific writer and author of many books, some have been translated to many languages. His greatest work was the book City of Wrong, published in Cairo 1954 and translated into English (by Kenneth Cragg) and six other languages. The book describes the day before Christ's crucifixion. In 1957, City of Wrong was awarded the prestigious national prize in Literature.

I was lucky to have met Mohammad Kamel Hussein as a medical student when I attended his lectures. I remember vividly a reply to a question about studying for medicine from a medical student. Hussein's reply was “to be a good medical student there is only one way to learn. During the daytime you sit by the bed side of the patient talking to him, examining him and learning from him. When you go home you read Shakespeare.” It was not surprising to know that this genius was always the top of his class during his premedical school education. He was also the top of his class during his medical school years. He graduated from medical school in 1923. Prof. Ali Pasha Ibrahim, the great physician who rose up the ranks from professor of surgery, to Dean of the Faculty of Medicine, to Chancellor of the University, and later Minister of Public Health, picked M.K.H. to specialize in orthopedics in England. The young graduate traveled to London and earned the Fellowship of the Royal Collage of Surgeons. Back in Cairo, he was appointed to the teaching staff of Qasr al Eini Medical School until he was picked up again to specialize in orthopedics in Liverpool, where he obtained the Mch, Orth. He was the first in Egypt to earn this degree.

On returning to Egypt, he started orthopedic training for young doctors in Kasr-el-Eini Hospital, Fouad I University, now known as Cairo University. At the same time he helped found the Egyptian Red Crescent Hospital and began an Accident and Emergency Service which was the first in Egypt and the Middle East. He was always very keen to teach young doctors the principles and the philosophy of good medicine, even under the shortage of staff, demands and discipline of practice. To do so he would devote two days a week to meet and  teach the young doctors regularly. He also started the journal club as soon as he returned from England. In the club, the Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery, issued in London, would be discussed regularly. He would choose an article and ask one of the young doctors to read, present and discuss it in detail. In spite of his commitments later on in life, he never stopped this practice throughout his life. He believed that teaching the young would promote the service, the art of orthopedics and benefit patients everywhere.

When I went to the United States September 1967, I toured 16 medical centers all over America, including one in Memphis. There I met Dr. Harold Boyd at Campbell Clinic. This Medical tour was arranged for me by the Late professor Gossling of Hertford, Connecticut. Professor Gossling told me that I would meet in Memphis one of the best if not the best orthopedic surgeon in America, Harold Boyd invited me to lunch in the doctors common room. Alone on a small table, he asked me if I know a nearly blind orthopedic surgeon in Cairo, I felt that Dr. Boyd was pulling my leg. My reply was that I knew him and that I was his pupil and attended his lectures etc. etc. Immediately he called on other people in the hall to come and meet Professor Booz, the pupil of Mohammad Kamel Hussein. He wanted to emphasize that the best credential in my CV was that I was the pupil of Mohammad Kamel Hussein, and that everybody in Campbell Clinic knew Mohammad Kamel Hussein. In fact, he had given a lecture there a year earlier. Dr. Boyd asked me whether he wrote books. When I mentioned City of Wrong, he became more delighted. I told him that this book and many of his other books had been translated to other languages.

Kamel Hussein's Philosophical Interests

After studying the Arabic language in-depth--from the Quran and ancient books--Kamel Hussein published many poems along with studies in linguistics and grammar. He prepared a major project to simplify many aspects of the classic Arabic language and presented this study to the General Council of the Arabic Language. Despite the council's refusal of his idea, it was still a significant effort.

Hussein also wrote many short stories compiled in ten books. The general theme of these was the conflict between conscience, faith and the facts of life. He wrote stories about Adam, Moses (The vagabond) and Judas Iscariot. In all his writings, he was preaching that conscience in humans was the real gift by God that differentiated between animals and humans. People who commit evil deeds did not follow the power of conscience which always differentiates between bad and good actions.

In 1965, M.K.H was invited by U Thant, the Secretary-General of the United Nations, to give a lecture on International Cooperation and Peace. At that time his vision was failing and the very long lecture of one hour posed a problem for him, as became impossible for him to read it. To overcome this obstacle, he prepared the lecture and recorded it on tape. Dr. Boyd said that M.K.H gave the tape to the Interpreters Office who translated it to many languages. He also requested to have the tape played in English only to his ears so that he could follow what to say without omitting a paragraph. This surprised the audience because M.K.H spoke fluently, correctly and impressively without any notes, failures, hesitations, pauses or mistakes, for an hour in perfect English. This had been the first time Dr. Boyd had ever heard of such a genius method of overcoming the failing sight of a famous speaker.

M.K.H took part in a book The Role of Arabs and Islam in European Renaissance. He provided evidence that Arabs translated Greek books during a period of history when the Arab culture accepted and assimilated the Greek medicine and philosophy. He also documented other contributions by Arabs in many fields, especially in clinical medicine, building hospitals, medical teaching, and presenting medical licenses to practitioners. He preferred to look at the progress of medicine according to humanitarian development, regardless of the location, place or the state of development in any given country.

He wrote about Al Razi in conjunction with Prof. Mohammed Abdul Halim al Okbi. Al Razi emphasized Comparative Medicine and Differential Diagnosis. He was the first medical man in history who differentiated small pox from measles. M.K.H. believed that Al-Razi was the greatest physician in history, including Hippocrates and Galinos.

MKH also believes that the discovery of the smaller circulatory system was the first revolution in anatomy replacing the Anatomy of Galinos. He believed that Ibn Sina was the most intelligent physician in history. He combined philosophy and medicine in his book Al Qanon. This book was for centuries the text book used in all medical schools of Europe. He also showed what Al Zahrawi (Al Bucasis) wrote an extensive medical text book of thirty volumes. One of them on instruments with one hundred and eighty five illustrations. The books were completed during his life time. So MKH made a point that the progress of science moved steadily from the Greek to the Arabs to Europe in the Middle Ages.

The Peace Activist

M.K.H. preached against war and believed in peace. He had a theory that some leaders and army generals considered themselves dearer and more precious than thousands of soldiers. Governors of a country believed that thousands of soldiers did not understand the value of life and had no say in it. He was sorry for soldiers who were driven to death out of shear ignorance, demanding that cultured, educated soldiers should not submit themselves blindly to the orders of their leaders and shouldn’t take part in any war if they do not believe in that war. Furthermore, these cultured soldiers should be consulted about whether or not to go to war, because he also believed that many of the soldiers today are educated. In his ideology, the only motive to go to war is when the country is invaded by another country. This is the only situation when a war is morally justified out of self-defense. Soldiers should not believe the slogan that the best way to defend their country is to attack another. This is wrong and any soldier who goes into a neighboring country or enemy land is participating in an act of aggression. Thus any soldier who crosses the border is an aggressor and deserves to die.

MKH had great respect for religion. He thinks that if you are one of those who makes good deeds for fear of God and if you refrain from doing evil because you know that God knows what you do and what you plan to do, and that God’s justice will never miss bad people, so you are a follower of Moses whatever religion you believe in. And if you believe that what drives you to goodness is your love for God and for people whom God loves, and if you see that you spare people your evil, so you are on the path of Jesus, whatever your religion. And if what drives you to goodness is your hope to go to Paradise and be near to God and that you will live in Heaven leading a very happy life ever after,  so you are on the track of Mohammad whoever you are. He thinks that this classification is nearer to logic than dividing people into Jews, Christians and Muslims.

It is evident from this short biography that my teacher, professor Kamel Hussein, was a symbol of greatness in literature, philosophy, medicine and theology. He was widely read, had educated himself in different fields of knowledge, excelled in all fields of knowledge. When he started writing, knowledge flowed on paper, in lectures, in teaching rooms, in councils of graduate and post-graduate studies. He was considered a man of wisdom and he offered his knowledge and experience to everyone. When he translated the Edwin Smith Papyrus from English to Arabic, where he showed the first scientific study in history. It was based on clinical notes, differential diagnoses, criteria of dangerous signs that will lead to death, or end in cure. The Ancient Egyptian medical man divided injuries into two categories: those that would lead to death and should not be treated and those that could be saved and how to treat them. As a matter of fact, the ancient Egyptian medical man described Prognosis! The papyrus described fifty cases which gave an account of the high standard of the Ancient Egyptian Medicine in those days.

In writing about different subjects of the early 19th-century he wrote in depth about chemistry, philosophy anatomy, surgical instruments, diseases and treatment. Indulging in Literature and Theology, he discussed the different beliefs of major and minor sects in the religion: Fatimiah, Shiite, Zaydiin, Ismailia, Dorooz and about the people in the outskirts of the Arab peninsula: Iraq, Syria and Lebanon He did not only write about the different views of the people, but also about the culture, literature and poems of their advocates. 

He died a bachelor who had never married. Speaking about this, he said that statically only 7% of married people are happy so he opted to be stay a bachelor in hope of increasing his life expectancy by a few years. Born an orphan, his well-to-do elder brother looked after him until manhood. He had only one sister whose husband died young, so she and her children lived in his house. To him, this compensated for family life, he always considered these children his own, so he never missed family life.

Confrontation :Abbas  Mahmoud Al- Akkad and Mohammad Kamel Hussein:

Abbas Al Akkad was one of the great writers in Egypt and the Arab World. A playwright, poet, journalist, and writer of many classic textbooks, Al Akkad's general knowledge was extensive, having read many books both national and international in different languages. He was considered by many to be the Bernard Shaw of the East. At the same time, he was a confident and fierce critic. Al-Akkad wrote an article in Al Akhbar, a leading Egyptian newspaper, about  Unity of Knowledge, a book by MKH. He plainly claimed that the subject of the book was “stolen” from  Alexander Samuel’s book Space, Time and Deity, published 1934 (abstracted by Al-Akkad) 16 years before MKH wrote his book! The claim was a terrible shock to the literary world. What made it worse, that Dr. Zaki Nagib Mahmoud, a well known professor of philosophy took sides with Al-Akkad and backed him.

The main argument of MKH was that the same subject was tackled by the two authors differently. Alexander Samuel offered a philosophical and hypothetical description, while MKH provided a scientific one. The latter relied on the anatomy of the brain nerve cells, nerve centers, synapses, tracts, and electronic pathways that influence the movement and life of insects, birds, animals and man. This “electronic branch of science” was not yet developed in 1934. Furthermore, it was not yet applied to medicine. MKH did not believe in Darwin’s Evolution, but in Creation. He believed that creatures behave according to the capabilities of their bodies and their brains.

This exchange of hot argument and  articles was enjoyed by all  readers and made great publicity to MKH books . The conflict came to an end when the two men stopped writing. Al Akkad did not apologize. He published his three articles in his book: “ Al Ayyam.”

Before I conclude I would like to advise everyone to read the books of Mohammad Kamel Hussein. His writing is pleasing, educating, beautiful, philosophical, that speaks not only to the  brain but also to the soul and heart. Unfortunately all of his books are out of print and maybe those who read my plea will take effort to republish them in full.

Kamel Hussein's Medical Publications

Professor Kamel Hussein is the founder of the Egyptian Orthopedic Association and was elected as its first president and chief-editor of its scientific journal. He had a plethora of medical publications including:

1.         Parathyroidectomy. Congres de la societe Internationale de Chirurgie

2.                  Multiple Congenital Dislocation

3.                  Annual Report, Red Crescent Hospital No.1,1937-1938

4.                  Annual Report, Red Crescent Hospital No.2,1938-1938

5.                  Annual Report, Orthopaedic Department, Kasr El-Eini Hospital, 1940, J.E.M.A., vol. XXX, No7-8.1940.

6.                  Intra-medullary Nailing, J.E.M.A., vol. XXXII, No.6-7, 1940

7.                  Separation of Capitulum. J.E.M.A., vol. XXVII, No.6

8.                  Clinical Research. Bulletin of Clinical and Scientific Society of Abbassieh Faculty of Medicine, vol. III, No. 1, May, 1951

9.                  Planning for a Higher Standard of Treatment (S.S.S. selections)

In 1966  Mohammad Kamel Hussein won The  State Appreciation Prize in Science. He became the first scholar to obtain the highest prize in Literature and then, nine years later, in  Science.

Lectures in medical history:

The great orthopedic surgeon had a great interest in studying and researching the history of medicine, especially of Ancient Egyptians. He encouraged both Prof. Paul Ghalioungi, head of internal medicine and Prof. Ahmed Ammar, the distinguished gynecologist in Ain Shams Medical College, to join him in pursuing the study of ancient Egyptian medicine. On this issue, he published the following:

1.                    The Edwin Smith Papyrus: Journal of the Egyptian Medical Association No. 33, June 1934

2.                    Ancient Egyptian Treatise on Trauma. The Edwin Smith Pappryus: Bone and Joint surgery, British , No. , May 1949

3.                    Kocher’s Method of Reducing Dislocated Shoulder is three Thousand Years Old: Bone and Joint Surgery, British, August 1968

4.                    Quelques specimens de pathologie osseuse de L’Ancienne Egypte.

5.          Translated the famous Edwin Smith papyrus on ancient Egyptian traumatology and published a paper about the reduction of a shoulder dislocation as depicted on an Ancient Egyptian temple 3000 years ago, which is exactly like Kocher’s Method used today: Now the Egyptian Orthopedic Association uses this depiction as its logo.

M.K.H Books in Arabic

In addition to City of Wrong, he authored many other books in the Arabic language on different subjects, including fictional novels.

References:

1-     Mohammad Al Gawady: (2003) Mohammad Kamel Hussein, Al-Hay’a Al Amma lilkitqab,, Cairo

2-     Ezzat Shaalan: (2004). People who never purify themselves, and other stories, Dar Al-Shorooq,Cairo

3-     Mohammad Kamel Hussein: (1954) City of Wrong, Egyptian Nahda Bookshop

4-     Mohammad Kamel Hussein: 1959. Miscellaneous, Misr Press, 1959, Cairo

5-     Mohammad Kamel Hussein: Unity of Knowledge:2nd Edition, Egyptian Nahda Bookshop, 1974, Cairo.

Professor Mahmoud  KAY Booz, FRCS Ed, FRCS Eng, FACS is the Counsellor Pan Arab Orthopaedic Association and vice-president of Global Doctors. His email is mkbooz@hotmail.com 


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