Gorgi Sobhi
Encyclopedia
Professor Gorgi Sobhi جورجى صبحى Professor of General Medicine, Professor of the History of Medicine
and Professor of Egyptology
.
, Egypt
, where he lived with his father, who was a manager in an arsenal factory. His mother died a week after he was born. Dr Harper, the manager of Harmel Hospital in Cairo fostered Gorgi and the family brought him up as a twin brother to their own son who was almost the same age. He lived with the Harpers till the age of 9 and being brought up in an English family, spoke fluent English.
and later joined Medical School, qualifying from Qasr el Eini in 1904. Dr Sobhi became an Anatomist and wrote several papers in this field. In 1909 he came to London
, but returned to Cairo
two years later to look after his family following the sudden death of his father.
Between 1940 and 1952 he was Professor of General Medicine in Qasr el Eini. He qualified MRCP and later FRCP. He was also Prof. of Egyptology at the faculty of art at Fouad Ist university.
He pioneered asthma
treatment treating it with gold injections, a breakthrough in his day. He loved the history of medicine
and wrote extensively on the subject and later became Professor of the History of Medicine. He learned the Coptic language
almost by accident. Mahdist War
in Sudan
obliged the Coptic
Bishop there to flee to Egypt where he met Dr Sobhi and taught him Coptic
.
He became a scholar in the language, so much so that Saad Zaghloul, the national Egyptian leader, asked him to write a manuscript on the language and it was printed at the governments expense in Arabic and in English. Dr Sobhi came across a rare old Coptic on proverbs .
He transcribed the book in one night and returned it to his owner. He was able to translate and publish the book later. He studied Hieroglyphics, and became fluent in it. He taught Demotic (Egyptian)
in the school of Egyptian Antiquities. He wrote the only book of its kind, Arabic words of Coptic and Greek origin.
He was fluent in seven languages: English
, French
, Italian
, Arabic, Greek
, Latin
and Coptic
; he could also read hieroglyphics. He learnt Italian while looking after the Italian prisoners of war during the First World War.
He was married to a French lady, he had no children, he was survived by a wealth of scientific and humanistic studies.
History of medicine
All human societies have medical beliefs that provide explanations for birth, death, and disease. Throughout history, illness has been attributed to witchcraft, demons, astral influence, or the will of the gods...
and Professor of Egyptology
Egyptology
Egyptology is the study of ancient Egyptian history, language, literature, religion, and art from the 5th millennium BC until the end of its native religious practices in the AD 4th century. A practitioner of the discipline is an “Egyptologist”...
.
Early life
He was born in Mimon of Beni SuefBeni Suef
- Overview :Beni Suef is an important agricultural center, which grew from a small village at the turn of the century and now hosts a population of over 200,000. It was famous for its linen manufacturing in the Middle Ages, and continues to be heavily involved in cotton-spinning and carpet-making....
, Egypt
Egypt
Egypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, Arabic: , is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Southwest Asia. Egypt is thus a transcontinental country, and a major power in Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East and the Muslim world...
, where he lived with his father, who was a manager in an arsenal factory. His mother died a week after he was born. Dr Harper, the manager of Harmel Hospital in Cairo fostered Gorgi and the family brought him up as a twin brother to their own son who was almost the same age. He lived with the Harpers till the age of 9 and being brought up in an English family, spoke fluent English.
Academic career
He achieved first place in the 11+ exam in EgyptEgypt
Egypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, Arabic: , is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Southwest Asia. Egypt is thus a transcontinental country, and a major power in Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East and the Muslim world...
and later joined Medical School, qualifying from Qasr el Eini in 1904. Dr Sobhi became an Anatomist and wrote several papers in this field. In 1909 he came to London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, but returned to Cairo
Cairo
Cairo , is the capital of Egypt and the largest city in the Arab world and Africa, and the 16th largest metropolitan area in the world. Nicknamed "The City of a Thousand Minarets" for its preponderance of Islamic architecture, Cairo has long been a centre of the region's political and cultural life...
two years later to look after his family following the sudden death of his father.
Between 1940 and 1952 he was Professor of General Medicine in Qasr el Eini. He qualified MRCP and later FRCP. He was also Prof. of Egyptology at the faculty of art at Fouad Ist university.
He pioneered asthma
Asthma
Asthma is the common chronic inflammatory disease of the airways characterized by variable and recurring symptoms, reversible airflow obstruction, and bronchospasm. Symptoms include wheezing, coughing, chest tightness, and shortness of breath...
treatment treating it with gold injections, a breakthrough in his day. He loved the history of medicine
History of medicine
All human societies have medical beliefs that provide explanations for birth, death, and disease. Throughout history, illness has been attributed to witchcraft, demons, astral influence, or the will of the gods...
and wrote extensively on the subject and later became Professor of the History of Medicine. He learned the Coptic language
Coptic language
Coptic or Coptic Egyptian is the current stage of the Egyptian language, a northern Afro-Asiatic language spoken in Egypt until at least the 17th century. Egyptian began to be written using the Greek alphabet in the 1st century...
almost by accident. Mahdist War
Mahdist War
The Mahdist War was a colonial war of the late 19th century. It was fought between the Mahdist Sudanese and the Egyptian and later British forces. It has also been called the Anglo-Sudan War or the Sudanese Mahdist Revolt. The British have called their part in the conflict the Sudan Campaign...
in Sudan
Sudan
Sudan , officially the Republic of the Sudan , is a country in North Africa, sometimes considered part of the Middle East politically. It is bordered by Egypt to the north, the Red Sea to the northeast, Eritrea and Ethiopia to the east, South Sudan to the south, the Central African Republic to the...
obliged the Coptic
Copt
The Copts are the native Egyptian Christians , a major ethnoreligious group in Egypt....
Bishop there to flee to Egypt where he met Dr Sobhi and taught him Coptic
Coptic language
Coptic or Coptic Egyptian is the current stage of the Egyptian language, a northern Afro-Asiatic language spoken in Egypt until at least the 17th century. Egyptian began to be written using the Greek alphabet in the 1st century...
.
He became a scholar in the language, so much so that Saad Zaghloul, the national Egyptian leader, asked him to write a manuscript on the language and it was printed at the governments expense in Arabic and in English. Dr Sobhi came across a rare old Coptic on proverbs .
He transcribed the book in one night and returned it to his owner. He was able to translate and publish the book later. He studied Hieroglyphics, and became fluent in it. He taught Demotic (Egyptian)
Demotic (Egyptian)
Demotic refers to either the ancient Egyptian script derived from northern forms of hieratic used in the Delta, or the stage of the Egyptian language following Late Egyptian and preceding Coptic. The term was first used by the Greek historian Herodotus to distinguish it from hieratic and...
in the school of Egyptian Antiquities. He wrote the only book of its kind, Arabic words of Coptic and Greek origin.
He was fluent in seven languages: English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
, French
French language
French is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...
, Italian
Italian language
Italian is a Romance language spoken mainly in Europe: Italy, Switzerland, San Marino, Vatican City, by minorities in Malta, Monaco, Croatia, Slovenia, France, Libya, Eritrea, and Somalia, and by immigrant communities in the Americas and Australia...
, Arabic, Greek
Greek language
Greek is an independent branch of the Indo-European family of languages. Native to the southern Balkans, it has the longest documented history of any Indo-European language, spanning 34 centuries of written records. Its writing system has been the Greek alphabet for the majority of its history;...
, Latin
Latin
Latin is an Italic language originally spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. It, along with most European languages, is a descendant of the ancient Proto-Indo-European language. Although it is considered a dead language, a number of scholars and members of the Christian clergy speak it fluently, and...
and Coptic
Coptic language
Coptic or Coptic Egyptian is the current stage of the Egyptian language, a northern Afro-Asiatic language spoken in Egypt until at least the 17th century. Egyptian began to be written using the Greek alphabet in the 1st century...
; he could also read hieroglyphics. He learnt Italian while looking after the Italian prisoners of war during the First World War.
He was married to a French lady, he had no children, he was survived by a wealth of scientific and humanistic studies.
See also
- List of Copts
- Lists of Egyptians
- Coptic Medical Society U K
External links
- Pioneer Coptic Doctors Arabic