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= written by Amr Khaled =

 1-2 Ajdaduna - A scientist kept in oblivion

A Scientist Kept in Oblivion

-          “Congratulations, Mohey!”

-          “Thanks, God bless you.”

-          “When do you leave?”

-          “The day after tomorrow, God willing.”

-          “I think you have prepared everything. If you need anything, though, I will be more than happy to help.”

-          “Thank you Muhammad, I will let you know if I need anything.”

The train had been passing through woods for an hour while on its way to Freiburg. ‘The vast green areas of Europe are amazing.’ That is what Dr. Mohey El-Deen El-Natawey was thinking about, while leaning his chin on his hand. He sometimes looked through the window then returned to review his papers.

His hopes were racing him to Germany to attain the doctorate degree and to be able to make a scientific discovery. He was researching and studying cases he had began at university. Dr. El-Natawey was a talented doctor, loyal and hardworking in his studies. He distributed his work between the university, the hospital, and the public medical library in Berlin.

On a rainy day, when all the roads were dim and all figures of life were frozen, Dr. El- Natawey was sitting in the library taking notes and reviewing his papers. All of a sudden, warmth sprung out and the sun shone from the pages dropping its rays on an old Arabic name: Ibn El-Nafis.

Dr. El-Natawey stopped before the manuscripts following it up till it became his only business. He discovered that the Arabic physician, of Syrian origin, was the first to mention the minor blood circulation before Harvey. No doubt he was an encyclopaedic scientist; he had vast knowledge, wide cognition, lots of fertile production, and various activities. He was a philosopher, a linguist, a jurisprudent, an author, a renovator and an excellent physician in addition to being a distinguished ophthalmologist with quite remarkable fame in medicine.

It was said that there was no one on earth like him in medicine during his time; and that no one came after 'Ibn Sina resembling him except 'Ibn El-Nafis. But why had scientists and historians neglected all that?

Dr. El-Natawey made his doctorate thesis (in 1924 -1343 hijri) entitled “pulmonary circulation according to Al-Qurashi”, and presented it to Freiburg University in Germany.

The professors and supervisors of his thesis were amazed when they read it because they did not believe that he wrote with such steadiness and certainty. Therefore, they sent a copy to Dr. Mayerhof, the German Orientalist doctor, who was in Cairo at the time. They asked for his opinion on what this intelligent scholar had written. As soon as he read the thesis he supported it. He also told the historian George Sarton about his discoveries about 'Ibn El-Nafis’ efforts. Sarton published this fact as the last part of his famous book “The History of Science”. Then, Mayerhof rushed into research for Ibn El-Nafis’s other manuscripts and translations and published his results in many articles. Since then, interest has been taken in this great scientist and in rediscovering him.

Dr. El-Natawey could not believe he had drawn the world’s attention to 'Ibn El-Nafis. As a result, both El-Natawey and 'Ibn Al-Nafis became friends; Ibn El-Nafis was living with him and El-Natawey could see him and follow him.

He adopted a method followed by 'Ibn El-Nafis in all his writings and researches. This method was not reached before by anyone except Abdel-Latif El-Boghdady. 'Ibn El-Nafis constructed his theories upon observations, experiments and scientific experiences. He had critical thoughts and accurate observations, which in turn led him to pioneer medical discoveries and put him in high rank; that is how he meritoriously earned the title of the discoverer scientist physician.

He had an extraordinary memory. When compiling, he had all his pencils sharpened in front of him. He used to turn his head to the wall then start compiling from his memory pouring information like a flood. Whenever the pencil went blunt, he threw it away and took another one, to avoid wasting time sharpening the pencils.

It was said that his power to create was imposing on him fiercely to the extent that he could not escape it. As if it was an inspiration inviting him to write in the strangest places and the various circumstances.

It was once said that he went to the bathroom and in the middle of his shower he went to the dressing room asking for an inkbottle, a pen and paper. He went on compiling an article on the pulse until he finished it then he returned to the bathroom to continue his shower.

His vast knowledge and loyalty are proven by what the wise Domiaty, one of 'Ibn El-Nafis’ students, had said about him in Cairo, “One day El-Sheikh Ala’ Al-Deen 'Ibn El-Nafis met with the judge Jamalu-deen ben Wasel, and was sleeping at that place. After they prayed the evening prayer they began their journey of research moving from one science to another. Ibn El-Nafis was never annoyed but full of energy, however, the judge Jamau-deen was annoyed. Raising his voice, his eyes turned red, and his veins popped up in his neck. They remained like this till the morning came and when they had finished working, the judge Jamau-deen said, “We judges have case remarks and rules, but you have treasures of sciences”. Moreover, 'Ibn El-Nafis was highly self-confident in his opinion and certain of his sayings; he once said, “If I had not been sure that my compilations would last for thousands of years, I would not have written them”.

His contemporaries described him as honourable, good-mannered, straight forward, in addition adopting Al-Shafe’y’s doctrine; that is why Al-Sobky wrote a biography about him in his book “The Great Shafe’yan Classes” regarding him as a Shafe’yan jurisprudent as he put all that he owned from money and property as wakf (donation) to Al-Mansori mental hospital before his death.

After he turned eighty, he became severely ill for six days before his death. When the doctors tried to cure him with wine he pushed it away. He said, while he was in great pain, “I will never meet Almighty Allah with a drop of wine in my stomach”. He was not ill for long; he died at dawn Friday, 21 Dhul-Q’edah 787 hijri, 17 December 1288.

Oh my professor and my friend, how I wished to continue what you had started and to keep researching in your biography and works but I was not lucky. For, after my return to Egypt in 1925, I worked in the ministry of health. I generally moved from one small city to another in the countryside away from the libraries and the scientific institutes. Finally, I departed this life joining you at our last home while fighting Typhus in the Egyptian countryside in 1945.

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