Khafage…Egyptian Heroic Mother Who Nurtured Father of Modern Medicine

By:Gehan Abo el ElLa

CAIRO, Mar. 21 (SEE) - In 1880, an ordinary female peasant set a model- how should moms be real heros in shaping their sons’ lives.

Here is a story of an ordinary mother for a non-ordinary scientist - a son who was raised up in conditions that never indicated what he would turn to in future.. It was the mother who suffered and exerted all efforts with her son after his father left.. The son then became father of modern medicine in Egypt.

‘(Mabrukah Khafage)

The mother is ‘Mabrukah Khafage’, illiterate peasant, born in ‘Motobus’ village, Kafr El Sheikh governorate.. The son is iconic Scientist Dr. Ali Basha Ibrahim.

The story set off with the marriage of Ibrahim Atta, a postman in the city of Alexandria, with Khafage. When she got pregnant they both separated.

The mother, who lost a breadwinner, did not give in. She went on searching for a job to earn her living and her son’s. She changed her work more than once, until she eventually worked as a midwife.

(Ibrahim Atta...his father)

Her son attended primary school and he was a clever student. Once his father learned about this, he tried to convince his son to leave schooling in order to assist him in the postman job. But the mother resisted this move. She decided to send the son to Cairo, away from his dad.

This was not spontaneous as she devise a plan for how her son would escape once the father arrives at their home. Back then, she took her son to the roof where she gave him all the money she had, as well as a letter.

She directed him to jump over the neighbour's roof and head toward the railway station, where he travelled and resided with Al-Samaloty, a distant relative who helped him continue his studies in Cairo.

The son lived with that family and attended the ‘Old Khepe’ school. He was consistently receiving money from his mother (actually all that she could earn) to make live independently with dignity. She lived alone in Alexandria.. In fact, she labored hard only to brighten the life of her son.

The son excelled and finished his high school and joined the faculty of medicine; he was motivated by passion to achieve excellence. He also memorize the Holy Qur’an.

He owed a lot to his mother, so he was sending her a salary paid to him by the faculty because of his excellence. This was all what he earned and, so, he was working on part time basis to earn his living.. Sometimes he was reciting Qur’an at graves on Fridays, and get paid for that.

He graduated and became a physician- famous surgeon. He was the first Egyptian surgeon to be appointed at ‘Al-Qasr Al- Ainy’ hospital, where the Britons were exclusively occupying medicine education and professions.

Time passed and Dr. Ibrahim only found himself performing a surgery for Sultan Hussein Kamel (then King of Egypt). He was then named ‘Sultan's Doctor’, later, he became more famous.

He took over the chair of the hospital, which was then very simple. He worked day and night to turn it into a big hospital able to receive all patients.

There was a piece of land, opposite to the hospital, owned by then King Fouad and was set to have a royal palace established on it.

One day while treating King Fouad, he asked him to donate this piece of land to the hospital, and the monarch agreed. The King laid the foundation stone for establishing extension for the hospital, but funding was the problem at that time.

When the then Prime Minister ‘Ismail Sedky Basha’ got sick, Dr. Ibrahim seized the opportunity to ask for a government fund. One million EGP was allocated then for the construction.

It was Dr. Ibrahim’s efforts that Egyptians owed a lot for today, for having this old but excellent hospital.

Later on, Dr. Ibrahim became minister of health, and director of Cairo University. He founded Alexandria University, Red Crescent, and the Shark Society for constructing Egyptian factories. He also established the Physicians Syndicate, as well as charitable societies, including Save the Childhood Society.

The physician was behind the issuance of the first law for medical practicing in Egypt. As a result, he received international appreciation where his important researches in many diseases such as cholera and schistosomiasis were globally cited.

He was awarded the title of ‘Sir’ from Britain which was later received by Dr. Magdy Yacoub.

A gift, we still have today, by an ordinary Egyptian mother to all Egyptians. Her willing and insistence at her son was translated into success exists now at every corner in the world.

He is Prof. Dr. Ali Pasha Ibrahim, the Iconic pioneer and father of modern medical renaissance in Egypt and the Middle East.