The following is an excerpt from a series of lectures titled The Evolution of Modern Medicine delivered in 1913 by Sir Wiliam Osler. He is one of the founders of 20th century medicine and known to the masses by several Eponyms carrying his last name.

Unfortunately, his statement '''"No such hospital exists today in Cairo as that which was built by al-Mansur Gilafun in 1283"''' is still true today, which is based on an account …

I found this editorial on SciDev about the state of science and research in Egypt. The first half of the article is a little bit optimistic but if you read on, this is probably one of the few articles that clearly outlines the obstacles facing science here. I took some notes and listed them:

• Lack of funds (poor equipment and diminished journal subscriptions)
• Low political priority
• Academic quarrels
• Research as a ladder for higher academic …

After almost a month in Pediatrics, I finally managed to break an important psychological barrier. I managed to draw blood from a 2 months old. I was mostly lucky, the boy had a single visible vein. Which I attacked like a hungry leopard. With no fear I poked the needle in it. When the blood started oozing from the needle it was a great relief, I felt self confidence running through my veins. No more …

Here are some depressing facts about Hepatitis C in Egypt.

• Egypt has the highest HCV prevelance worldwide, rural areas have the highest level of infection.
• In the rural areas of the Delta, prevelance rate of positive HCV antibodies is around 24%. Cairo; 19%.
• It is the most common cause of liver disease in Egypt.

• In Egypt people who did the following are in a higher risk for infection:

  • previous injection chemotherapy for Bilharziasis, blood transfusion …

Here, people don't give much thought about safety. Not even personal safety. People in many professions just don't care if they hurt themselves.

Rabak Youstor, they say. You can see workers in extremely dangerous situations not wearing anything to protect themselves. This is not only in case of blue collar workers. White collar workers too don't give a damn about the hazards of their job. Despite their higher education and knowledge about the risks. And …

Last year I attended the first phase of an intensive training course called Research Orientation Course (ROC). It provides training for medical students on scientific methods and research.

I learned a lot from this course.

I think we, medical students, are being taught in a negative way which is based on rote learning only. This results in conformist physicians who lack any understanding of the history and philosophy of medical science. And know nothing about …